CHANDIGARH: A fresh corruption case filed by India’s premier investigative agency has drawn together allegations of bribery, unexplained wealth, and the alleged use of family networks to conceal illicit funds—casting a new light on how power, proximity, and money may have intersected over a compressed span of months in 2024.
A New Case Emerges From an Earlier Trap
The Central Bureau of Investigation, India’s federal investigative agency, has registered a disproportionate assets case against Vishal Deep, a former Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate, and his brother Vikas Deep, a senior manager with Punjab National Bank. The case, filed by the agency’s anti-corruption branch in Chandigarh, stems from a preliminary inquiry that followed earlier trap cases in which substantial amounts of cash and documents were seized.
According to investigators, the inquiry revealed prima facie material suggesting that Vishal Deep amassed assets far exceeding his known sources of income during a short “check period” running from March 1 to December 31, 2024. The registration of the case came barely a month after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a related bribery matter, underscoring how the allegations have unfolded in rapid succession
Following the Money: Assets, Income, and Expenditure
The FIR paints a detailed financial picture. At the beginning of the check period, the combined assets of the brothers allegedly stood at about ₹9.20 lakh. By the end of December, investigators say, that figure had risen to roughly ₹44.44 lakh. During the same period, the brothers’ total known income was assessed at ₹40.28 lakh, while expenditure was pegged significantly higher, at ₹98.29 lakh.
In all, the agency has alleged the acquisition of disproportionate assets worth approximately ₹93.24 lakh—about 231 percent more than the brothers’ combined lawful income. The CBI has cited a trail of significant transactions, including property investments, vehicle purchases, loan repayments, hotel stays, and high-value online payments, which it says collectively point to expenditure beyond legitimate means.
Cash Recoveries and the Question of Family Involvement
Investigators have also pointed to large cash recoveries in earlier cases connected to the inquiry. According to the FIR, ₹56.41 lakh in cash—apart from trap money—was recovered during prior investigations. An additional ₹14.73 lakh was reportedly seized from a location in Gurugram, a recovery that remains under verification.
The scale of these recoveries, the agency argues, raises questions beyond the two accused. The FIR notes that suspicious high-value transactions passed through bank accounts belonging not only to the brothers but also to members of their family. At this stage, investigators say, the possible role of relatives as abettors cannot be ruled out, and their involvement may be examined as the probe progresses.
A Broader Web of Allegations
The disproportionate assets case adds to an already complex legal landscape for Vishal Deep. He and his brother are currently on bail in an alleged bribery case in which two FIRs were registered last year. That case followed allegations that Vishal, while serving with the Enforcement Directorate, sought bribes from private college administrators during a probe into the Himachal Pradesh scholarship scam.
Separately, in January, he was arrested by the Panchkula police on charges of extortion linked to Mumbai. The current FIR has been filed under Sections 12 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, following what the agency describes as a detailed preliminary inquiry arising from those earlier cases.
