CBI files final challan, names Home Guard volunteer as 5th accused
Chandigarh, July 20 -- Over a week after the CBI filed a chargesheet against four individuals in the alleged Rs.13-lakh Punjab Vigilance Bureau bribery case from May, the agency has filed its final challan, nominating a fifth accused.
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.
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 Rs.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.
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.
The chargesheet states that Goyal first generated the complaint under a different name before asking ChatGPT to replace the complainant's particulars with the fictitious identity "Rohit Devgan". The final document was allegedly shared immediately with Rana over WhatsApp.
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.
The alleged conspiracy culminated on May 11, when the CBI laid a trap at JW Marriott Hotel, Sector 35, Chandigarh, leading to the recovery of Rs.13 lakh in marked currency and a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold-7 smartphone valued at Rs.1.61 lakh, which the chargesheet says had been specifically selected and approved by Rana through WhatsApp chats.
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.
The CBI has attributed a distinct role to Mohit, charging him under Section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly aiding the conspiracy. According to the chargesheet, Devgan stayed with the co-accused during the planning stages at a Chandigarh guest house and actively coordinated with them on the day the trap was laid....
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