The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers investigating the bribery scandal with alleged links to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) have uncovered that the disproportionate assets case filed against a state tax officer at the VB was likely fabricated. According to sources, the false case was used to hook the officer into an extortion racket to extract Rs 20 lakh from him.
Extortion Modus Operandi Revealed
Although no officer would come on record, sources told TOI on Wednesday that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested father and son duo, Vikas and Raghav Goel, had allegedly extorted money from two policemen in Muktsar in a similar fashion. The CBI now plans to question these two policemen.
While Vikas and Raghav are being interrogated in CBI custody, multiple teams of the central agency are conducting raids across possible hideouts in Punjab and Haryana. They are searching for the key suspect on the run, Inspector OP Rana, who serves as the reader to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau Director General.
Key Suspect Evades Capture
Rana managed to evade the CBI raid at the bureau office in Mohali on Monday night and has not been seen since. CBI teams have been searching for him for nearly 48 hours but have drawn a blank so far.
It was Vikas and Raghav who introduced State Tax Officer Amit Kumar, whose complaint led to the CBI action, to Rana. The so-called fictitious complaint against Kumar at the Punjab Vigilance Bureau headquarters was filed with the intent to extort lakhs from him. After initiating the disproportionate assets complaint, both accused allegedly started pressuring Kumar to pay a bribe of Rs 20 lakh to settle the matter. The amount was negotiated down to Rs 13 lakh along with an expensive mobile phone, but Kumar decided to approach the CBI.
Evidence and Trap
The complainant submitted records of purported WhatsApp calls between him and the father-son duo to the CBI along with his complaint. After verifying the complaint, the CBI laid a trap at a five-star hotel in Chandigarh on Monday night and caught Ankit Wadhwa, the driver of Vikas and Raghav, accepting Rs 13 lakh in cash and the phone.
According to the CBI, Vikas, Raghav, and Rana escaped after allegedly being warned by Punjab Police gunmen. The CBI team pursued them for 50 kilometers and intercepted the father and son near Ambala. However, Rana managed to give them the slip.
Seizures and Investigation
The CBI searched the houses of Raghav and Vikas in Malot and Rana's office in Chandigarh, seizing around Rs 9 lakh in cash and important documents. The investigation revealed that sensitive information related to pending vigilance cases was being shared between Rana and the accused, according to the agency.
The CBI is now investigating how extensive this bribery network was and whether other officials or middlemen were involved. Punjab Vigilance Chief SS Chauhan told mediapersons on Tuesday that private people had been arrested and assured that the VB will fully cooperate with the CBI's investigation and whatever action they are taking.
