CBI files chargesheet against four persons

The CBI filed a chargesheet in the alleged scholarship scam of Himachal Pradesh in a local court on Friday. The chargesheet was filed against four persons, including Vishal Deep, former Assistant Director of the Enforcement Department, Shimla, and CBI’s DSP Balbir Singh.

The CBI had registered an FIR against Vishal Deep on the complaints of directors of two educational institutions on December 22, 2024 under section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI alleged that the ED officer with the help of his two relatives was extorting money by threatening people that they would be arrested in the case under investigation.

The CBI also alleged that the accused DSP had mediated a meeting with complainant Vishal Deep in Hotel Lalit on December 14, 2024, and negotiated the bribe amount. Balbir Singh was the IO in the alleged scholarship scam case investigated by the CBI and, hence, was acquainted with the complainant.

Vishal Deep, however, alleged that the DSP and one of the complainants tried to lure him to accept a bribe for not arresting the complainant and diluting the charges against him.

Meanwhile, Balbir Singh was produced before the CBI by the authorities of the Model Jail, Burail, Chandigarh, in pursuance of his production warrant. The CBI had filed an application seeking permission to formally arrest Balbir Singh in the case.