Over a week after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a chargesheet against four individuals in the alleged ₹13-lakh Punjab Vigilance Bureau bribery case from May, the agency has filed its final challan, nominating a fifth accused.
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The CBI has also chargesheeted Punjab Home Guard personnel Mohit Devgan for allegedly facilitating the bribe conspiracy.
The final report, filed under Section 193 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) before the special CBI judge in Chandigarh, now names all five accused: Om Parkash Singh Rana, reader to the DGP-cum-chief director, Punjab Vigilance Bureau; Raghav Goyal; Vikas Goyal alias Vicky Goyal; Ankit Wadhwa; and Mohit Devgan, who is posted at the Kabarwala police station.
The agency arrested Ankit Wadhwa, Vikas Goyal and Raghav Goyal on May 11, while alleging that Rana escaped from the spot during the operation. After remaining on the run for three weeks, Rana surrendered before the special CBI court on June 1 after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the CBI court as well as the Punjab and Haryana high court.
All five accused have been chargesheeted under Sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 238 (disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 7, 7A and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI has informed the court that voice sample reports from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and prosecution sanctions against the public servants are still awaited.
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According to the chargesheet, the case arose from a complaint lodged by Amit Kumar, a state tax officer (STO) posted at the GST Office in Malout, Muktsar. The accused allegedly conspired to extort ₹13 lakh and a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold-7 smartphone by claiming that a disproportionate assets (DA) complaint was pending against the officer before the Punjab Vigilance Bureau and could be “managed” through Rana, who was serving as reader to the DGP.
Fabricated case prepared with AI: CBI
During investigation, the CBI alleged that the vigilance complaint, used to pressure the STO, had itself been fabricated. Forensic examination of Raghav Goyal’s mobile phone and ChatGPT account allegedly revealed that on April 28, 2026, he generated a vigilance-style complaint against the STO using the AI platform.
According to CBI, forensic analysis also found that Goyal had used the same ChatGPT account to generate multiple fake vigilance complaints against other public servants, including officials of the Punjab Mandi Board and a Municipal Town Planner, allegedly with the intention to harass them and exert pressure.
