The CBI had registered two FIRs in a bribery case against Vishal after allegations surfaced on December 22, 2024. (File Photo)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against Vishal Deep, former Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and his brother Vikas Deep, a senior manager with Punjab National Bank, in a disproportionate assets (DA) case, alleging illicit enrichment during a short check period in 2024.
The case was registered on Tuesday a month after the Supreme Court had granted bail to Vishal, who was earlier arrested by the CBI for allegedly seeking bribes from two private college administrators during a probe into the Himachal Pradesh scholarship scam. In January, he was arrested by the Panchkula police on charges of extortion from Mumbai.
According to the FIR registered by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Chandigarh, the case stems from a preliminary enquiry that revealed prima facie evidence against Vishal, who was then posted in Shimla. The check period under scrutiny is from March 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, during which the accused allegedly amassed assets far beyond his known and lawful sources of income.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 12, 13(2) read with 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). The complaint was filed following the conclusion of a detailed preliminary enquiry initiated as an offshoot of earlier trap cases registered in 2024, in which substantial unaccounted cash and incriminating documents were recovered.
As per the FIR, Vishal and his brother Vikas are alleged to have acquired disproportionate assets worth approximately Rs 93.24 lakh, translating into 231.48 per cent more than their combined known sources of income during the check period. The CBI’s enquiry details show that while the assets at the beginning of the period stood at Rs 9.20 lakh, assets at the end of the period rose sharply to Rs 44.44 lakh. During the same period, the total income was assessed at Rs 40.28 lakh, whereas expenditure was pegged at Rs 98.29 lakh.
The agency, in its enquiry, has also pointed to the recovery of Rs 56.41 lakh in cash, apart from trap money, during the investigation of earlier cases. Additionally, Rs 14.73 lakh in cash was reportedly recovered from a location in Gurugram, which will be verified during the ongoing probe. The FIR notes that in view of the huge cash recoveries, coupled with suspicious high-value transactions, the bank accounts of family members of the brothers, the role of family members in abetment, if any, cannot be ruled out at this stage. Hence, the role of family members may also be looked into during the course of investigation.
The role of Vikas, the FIR states, emerged as that of an abettor. The preliminary enquiry allegedly found that both brothers used not only their own bank accounts but also accounts of family members to park and rotate illicit funds.
The CBI in its report has listed significant transactions, including property investments, vehicle purchases, loan repayments, hotel stays, and high-value online payments, as part of the alleged expenditure incurred during the check period.
Both Vishal and Vikas have already been facing charges in an alleged bribery case.