The bribery case against Punjab Vigilance Bureau Chief Sharad Satya Chauhan has taken a new turn, with the complainant now telling the CBI that he possesses audio recordings in which middlemen Vikas Goyal, alias Vicky Goyal, and his son Raghav Goyal are heard demanding illegal gratification on behalf of Chauhan and his Reader OP Rana.

The complainant has made submissions before the DIG, CBI, Anti-Corruption Branch, Chandigarh.

Amit Kumar, a state tax officer posted at the GST Office, Malout, had submitted his complaint to the CBI on May 8 - three days before the agency conducted a trap operation on May 11.

In his plaint, Kumar said Vicky informed him on April 24 that a complaint pertaining to disproportionate assets was pending against him in the office of DGP (Vigilance) Chauhan and that he and his son could help get it “closed" through their contacts with him and Rana.

On April 28, Kumar received a call from Vicky asking him to come to Chandigarh. On April 29, Kumar accompanied the Goyal duo to the Vigilance office, Mohali, where they met Rana who allegedly told him that Goyals would inform him how to “settle" the complaint.

Kumar was then taken to the CSIR-CSIO Guest House, Sector 30, Chandigarh, by the duo. There, they allegedly told Kumar that a bribe of Rs 20 lakh was to be paid to Chauhan for the closure of the complaint.