Based on a complaint made by an individual in Mount Lavinia, Investigation Officers of the Commission arrested a Labour Officer of the Labour Department attached to the Colombo-West District Secretariat on allegations of soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 250,000/-. According to the complainant, the said Officer has informed the complainant that he should increase the basic monthly salary of the employees of his company by Rs. 5,000/- and remit the EPF contribution relevant to the increased salary to the fund. He has further stated that the company has a history of offences and solicited the bribe to abstain from taking legal action with the support of senior officials and to return the documents taken into custody for investigations. The arrest was made at around 1.55 p.m. yesterday (22.01.2025) in front of the State Pharmaceutical Co-operation sales outlet near Templers Road junction while he was accepting the bribe.