Chandigarh, May 12: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a raid on the Punjab Vigilance Bureau office in Mohali on Tuesday. During the operation, three individuals were arrested, including an officer’s reader, O.P. Rana, a private driver, and a father-son duo acting as intermediaries.
According to reports, the complainant alleged that the accused demanded an illegal bribe of ₹20 lakh to close a pending complaint against him at the Punjab DG (Vigilance) office. Additionally, it was claimed that the accused were acting as middlemen for senior vigilance officials.
Preliminary investigations by the CBI found the bribery allegations to be credible. The accused negotiated the bribe amount, reducing it from ₹20 lakh to ₹13 lakh, and also requested a mobile phone for O.P. Rana.
Following this, the CBI team arrested Raghav Goyal and Vikas, also known as Vicky Goyal, near the Punjab-Haryana border in Ambala. Searches were conducted at the residences of Raghav Goyal in Malout and O.P. Rana in Chandigarh, where ₹9 lakh in cash and incriminating documents were recovered. The investigation further revealed that sensitive information related to pending vigilance cases was exchanged between O.P. Rana and other private accused.
In response to the operation, Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia commented on social media platform X, stating, “Do you remember the ₹7.5 crore recovery from IPS Bhullar? Now, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has another achievement to his name. A central agency has raided the Punjab Vigilance Bureau and the office of the Vigilance Chief over alleged bribery. Reportedly, a bribe deal of ₹20 lakh is under investigation, with ₹13 lakh recovered during the operation.”
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S.A.K./D.S.C.
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