Chandigarh: In a significant development that has sent ripples through the state’s administrative circles, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a high-profile raid at the Punjab Vigilance Bureau headquarters located in Mohali. The operation, which commenced on Monday evening and extended late into the night, targets serious allegations of corruption and bribery involving senior personnel within the very agency tasked with curbing graft in the state.
The primary focus of the investigative agency is O.P. Rana, who serves as the Reader to the Vigilance Chief. Rana is accused of accepting a bribe amounting to ₹13 lakh. According to sources familiar with the matter, the CBI initiated this action following the emergence of an audio recording involving an alleged middleman identified as Raghav Goyal. This recording reportedly provides evidence of a financial transaction aimed at influencing official procedures.
Central investigators arrived at the Mohali headquarters to scrutinize records and interrogate several employees and officers. The scope of the investigation is broad, as the CBI is also examining the role of Vigilance Bureau Chief Varad Satya Chauhan. While the agency has not released an official statement regarding specific findings against the top official, his conduct and involvement in the administrative chain are currently under intense scrutiny.
The case appears to be linked to a complex property transaction involving a five-star hotel. It is alleged that a bribe deal totaling approximately ₹20 lakh was negotiated to facilitate matters related to this property. Reports suggest that during the raid, the CBI recovered roughly ₹13 lakh in cash, though official confirmation of this seizure is still pending from the central agency’s spokespersons.
During the multi-hour operation, the CBI team seized several crucial documents, mobile phones, and electronic devices. Digital forensics will be employed to analyze call records and messages to establish the sequence of events and identify all parties involved in the alleged exchange. The agency is particularly interested in determining if this was an isolated incident or part of a larger pattern of institutionalized corruption.
The timing of the raid has added to the political heat in Punjab. This action follows closely on the heels of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) proceedings against Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora, who was recently placed on a seven-day remand. The back-to-back actions by central agencies have provided ammunition to the opposition, leading to a surge in political commentary across the state.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his concerns. Majithia described the situation as grave and claimed that corruption cases within the Punjab Vigilance Bureau are surfacing with alarming frequency. He has called for a thoroughly impartial investigation and demanded strict legal action against any officer found compromising their position for financial gain.
As of Tuesday morning, neither the Punjab Government nor the Vigilance Bureau has issued a formal response to the CBI’s intervention. Sources indicate that more summons are likely to be issued in the coming days, potentially bringing middlemen and other state officials into the fold of the investigation. The CBI is expected to continue its data-driven probe into the financial trails associated with the hotel deal.
