First arrest in Vimal Negi mystery death: ASI Pankaj held

Shimla, Sept 14,

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday made its first arrest in the mysterious death case of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation’s Chief Engineer Vimal Negi, detaining Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Pankaj Kumar. The agency, on the basis of forensic evidence, found that key files in a pen drive linked to the case had been tampered with. Reportedly, a CBI spokesperson confirmed that the arrest was made after forensic analysis provided vital clues about the deletion and corruption of sensitive data.

Pankaj was taken into custody from his native village in Bilaspur around 3 pm. Investigators said he is likely to be booked under Section 201 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for destruction of evidence and will be produced before the CBI court on Monday.

The pen drive in question was earlier concealed by Pankaj at the time Negi’s body was recovered from the river near Shahtalai on March 18, eight days after he went missing from Shimla. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Shimla Police had later recovered the device, but many files were found corrupted or unretrievable during its possession by Pankaj.

The CBI believes that the missing or damaged files could hold crucial information regarding the pressure Negi was allegedly facing in his official capacity. The agency has already questioned Shimla SP and ASP twice over the handling of the case and the chain of custody of electronic evidence.

Earlier, Pankaj had secured relief from the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which ordered his release from Kaithu Jail, where he had been confined in what he described as a “house-arrest-like” situation.

So far, co-accused Director Sports Harikesh Meena and Electricity Board Chief Engineer Deshraj remain out on bail, granted by the High Court and Supreme Court. The CBI has not succeeded in getting their bail cancelled.