CBI raids Punjab Vigilance HQ over alleged bribery deal

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a major raid at the Punjab Vigilance Bureau headquarters in Mohali in connection with an alleged Rs 20 lakh bribery deal, detaining and arresting multiple persons linked to the case, officials and sources said on Tuesday.

The agency carried out the operation late Monday night and returned to the Vigilance office again on Tuesday morning as part of its ongoing probe into alleged corruption involving officials and intermediaries. Sources said the CBI detained OP Rana, reader to a senior vigilance officer, while alleged middlemen Raghav Goyal and Vikas Goyal were arrested following searches conducted at Krishna Colony in Malout.

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According to media reports, the alleged deal was being negotiated at a five-star hotel in Chandigarh, where OP Rana and the two alleged middlemen were reportedly meeting a complainant. The deal was allegedly fixed at Rs 20 lakh, but the complainant arrived with Rs 13 lakh in cash, which was later seized by the CBI team during the operation.

Officials familiar with the investigation said Raghav Goyal, a resident of Malout in Muktsar district, was considered close to a senior vigilance officer and had reportedly been provided police security by the Punjab government. The CBI is understood to have registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act against OP Rana and Raghav Goyal.

Sources said the agency had been tracking the alleged transaction for several days before laying a trap. During the operation, OP Rana allegedly managed to flee, while Raghav Goyal and his father were apprehended by investigators. The agency also reportedly recovered Rs 13 lakh in cash from the accused intermediary.

The action has triggered panic within the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, with investigators now probing whether a wider network of officers and middlemen was involved in arranging alleged deals. Sources indicated that the inquiry may not remain limited to a reader-level official and could expand to include several officers and intermediaries linked to the alleged corruption racket.

Officials said the operation is being viewed as highly sensitive as it marks one of the rare instances of a central agency entering the state vigilance establishment at such a high level. Investigators are reportedly questioning multiple individuals to uncover the alleged network layer by layer, and further revelations are expected in the coming days.

Reacting to the development, senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged in social media posts that the CBI had raided not only the Punjab Vigilance Bureau office but also the office of the Vigilance Chief. He claimed that the alleged Rs 20 lakh bribery transaction was under investigation and that Rs 13 lakh had been recovered during the operation.

Majithia further alleged that the deal was linked to a five-star hotel in Chandigarh and claimed that more “sensational details” would emerge in the coming days. He said OP Rana had been taken into custody and alleged that the CBI had intensified its probe into a wider corruption network.

Targeting the AAP government, Majithia alleged that the Vigilance office had become a “hub of corruption” under the leadership of Bhagwant Mann and Chief Secretary KAP Sinha. He claimed corruption was surfacing “layer by layer” in Punjab and demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister, alleging that the state deserved transparent governance instead of “fear, intimidation and corruption”.

In another social media post, Majithia claimed that the Vigilance DGP office had been sealed following the raid and alleged that the Vigilance Chief had gone incommunicado, with his phone switched off for nearly two hours. However, there was no official confirmation from the CBI or the Punjab Vigilance Bureau regarding these claims.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar also reacted to the raids, claiming that panic had spread among officers, ministers, and political leaders after the CBI action. In a social media post, Jakhar said, “The corrupt won’t get away every last one will be nabbed. Time for ‘sab ka hisab’ is near.”