Sinha, who is absconding, is among five employees of the office who have been placed under suspension for their alleged involvement in the fraud. EPFO officers, who have interacted with Sinha in the past, described him as “affable” and “flamboyant”. And then, PF accounts were opened in their names as employees of Mumbai-based companies that had shut down 10-15 years ago. This was crucial, say officials, because for “old” PF accounts opened before 2014, there is a provision for the mandatory Universal Account Number (UAN) to be generated at the time of withdrawal. Based on the preliminary findings of the probe, all senior EPFO officers have been directed to check if the systems and processes in their domains are intact.

Source: Indian Express August 16, 2021 22:40 UTC