Chandigarh :
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three persons, including two private middlemen and one associate, in a ₹20 lakh bribery case linked to alleged corruption involving officials of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.
According to a CBI spokesperson, the case was registered following a complaint by a Punjab State Tax Officer, who alleged that Vikas alias Vicky Goyal and his son Raghav Goyal demanded ₹20 lakh to help close a complaint pending before the office of the Director General, Vigilance, Punjab.
Alleged role of intermediaries
The accused were allegedly acting as intermediaries for senior Vigilance officials, including O P Rana, the reader to the DG Vigilance, who is said to have assured the complainant that the matter would be resolved after payment of the bribe.
During verification, the CBI said the allegations of bribery demand were found to be prima facie substantiated.
Deal reduced to ₹13 lakh
Investigations revealed that the accused later negotiated the bribe amount down to ₹13 lakh, along with a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 mobile phone to be handed over to Rana.
During a trap operation conducted on May 11 in Chandigarh, accused Ankit Wadhwa, an associate of the Goyal family, was caught while allegedly accepting ₹13 lakh in cash and the mobile phone on behalf of the accused persons. Both the cash and the phone were recovered on the spot.
Arrests and escape attempt
Following the operation, Raghav Goyal, Vikas alias Vicky Goyal, and Rana allegedly attempted to flee after being alerted by gunmen deployed for surveillance.
However, after a chase, CBI teams apprehended Raghav Goyal, Vikas Goyal, and two gunmen near Ambala at the Punjab–Haryana border.
O P Rana, the reader to the DG Vigilance, remains absconding, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest him, the agency said.
The investigation in the case is ongoing.
