Bathinda: Raghav Goyal, one of the three persons arrested by the CBI in the Rs 13-lakh bribery case linked to the Punjab vigilance bureau, was an active BJP youth leader from Malout in Muktsar district who frequently posted photographs with Union ministers and senior BJP leaders on social media.The 32-year-old had also been provided two Punjab Police gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles. The Central Bureau of Investigation is now probing how official security cover came to be attached with a private individual.Raghav was arrested along with his father, Vikas Goyal, after a late-night chase near Ambala, while O P Rana, reader to the Punjab vigilance chief, remained absconding till Tuesday evening.In a Facebook post uploaded on Jan 14, Raghav described himself as “a BJP youth leader” and a probable councillor candidate from Ward 4 in the upcoming Malout municipal council elections. Residents said he had been actively preparing for the polls and had built considerable influence in the area.BJP Muktsar district president Satish Asija confirmed that Raghav was a party member and had applied for a BJP ticket for the civic polls.Locals in Malout said Raghav was considered politically well-connected and enjoyed considerable clout in the town. He had reportedly secured the support of a local resident who had contested the 2021 municipal council elections as an Independent candidate and polled a significant number of votes.Sources said the Goyal family was also associated with civil contract work and was believed to have links with senior police officials.The CBI arrested Raghav, Vikas and their associate Ankit Wadhwa after registering a case on the complaint of a Punjab state tax officer, who alleged that the father-son duo demanded Rs 20 lakh to settle a vigilance complaint pending in the office of the Punjab vigilance chief.According to the CBI, the accused were allegedly acting as intermediaries for senior vigilance officials, including Rana. The agency alleged that the demand was later reduced to Rs 13 lakh along with a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 mobile phone for Rana.The agency said Wadhwa was caught while allegedly accepting the bribe money and phone during a trap operation in Chandigarh.The CBI claimed that after being alerted by the gunmen deployed with them, Raghav, Vikas and Rana attempted to flee. Following a late-night chase, the agency arrested the father-son duo and detained the two Punjab Police gunmen near Ambala.Searches at the Goyals’ residence in Malout and Rana’s premises in Chandigarh led to the recovery of Rs 9 lakh cash and documents, the CBI said. BJP workers had gathered outside the Goyals’ residence during the raid, though they claimed to have no information about the agency’s action.
