Chandigarh, May 16 -- Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) chief director Sharad Satya Chauhan's name has figured in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) first information report (FIR) linked to an alleged Rs.13-lakh bribery case involving VB officials, though he has not been named as an accused. The FIR, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, mentions that the "bribe was demanded" on Chauhan's behalf for closure of a pending complaint. The CBI verification findings, reproduced in the FIR of May 11, has made specific mention of Chauhan, a 1992- batch IPS officer, who also holds the designation of special director general of police. The FIR names inspector OP Rana, reader to Chauhan, private contractors Raghav Goyal and his father Vikas Goyal, alias Vicky Goyal, alleged accomplice Ankit Wadhawa and "unknown public/private persons" in connection with the bribery demand. Verification is the preliminary process carried out by the CBI after receiving a complaint to ascertain whether the allegations are genuine and supported by some evidence. During verification, the CBI may collect basic facts, conduct discreet inquiries and monitor the accused with technical support before deciding whether to lay a trap or register a formal case. According to the FIR, a complaint was received from Amit Kumar of Abohar in Fazilka district on May 8, alleging that Raghav and Vikas Goyal were acting as intermediaries on behalf of Chauhan and his reader Rana. The complainant alleged that the accused demanded illegal gratification for facilitating closure of a complaint allegedly pending against him in the vigilance bureau office. The complaint was assigned to Arun Ahlawat, inspector, CBI (anti-corruption branch), for verification. The FIR states that during verification, it was found that the accused had allegedly demanded Rs.13 lakh from the complainant on behalf of public servants, namely OP Rana and DG (vigilance) Sharad Satya Chauhan, for facilitating closure of the complaint. The verification also disclosed that apart from the monetary demand, a mobile phone was allegedly sought for Rana as part of the illegal gratification. "The complaint and subsequent verification report dated May 11 prima facie disclose the commission of offences punishable under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against Rana, Raghav Goyal, Vikas Goyal and unknown public/private persons," the FIR states. A CBI team raided a hotel in Chandigarh on May 11 where Wadhawa was allegedly caught accepting Rs.13 lakh and a mobile phone on behalf of the accused. The cash and mobile phone were recovered during the trap proceedings, the agency said. According to the CBI, Rana, Raghav and Vikas fled after being alerted by their gunmen posted nearby. Following a chase, the CBI apprehended Raghav, Vikas and two gunmen near Ambala on the Punjab-Haryana border, while Rana remains absconding. Soon after the trap, CBI teams conducted searches at the vigilance bureau headquarters in Mohali, which continued for nearly 24 hours. Chauhan is the senior-most serving IPS officer in Punjab and is among the frontrunners for the post of the director general of police, for which the Punjab government has recently sent a panel of officers to the Union Public Service Commission. Chauhan could not be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts through phone calls and WhatsApp messages. Officials privy to the probe said raids were on to trace Rana, and a Red Corner Notice (RCN) process had been initiated against him. 2 accused sent to judicial custody, P2...