Overview
- The CBI registered an FIR after a May 11 trap and raid in Mohali that led to the arrest of two intermediaries and a co-accused and the recovery of ₹13 lakh and a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7.
- The agency says intermediaries first sought ₹20 lakh but negotiated the demand down to ₹13 lakh and the phone before the payment was accepted during the trap.
- Rana, who had been absconding after the FIR, failed to get anticipatory bail and surrendered on Monday, after which a special CBI court sent him to seven days of custodial remand for interrogation.
- Rana denies the charges in a surrender application, says he was falsely implicated, and argues he did not have authority to decide vigilance matters, while the CBI points to WhatsApp evidence and seeks digital device recovery.
- The case raises questions about the Vigilance Bureau’s internal checks because it alleges a reader used inside knowledge and middlemen to influence the closure of a complaint, and further probes may trace money, devices, and other beneficiaries.