Sunil Chadha
Shimla: In a startling development in the mysterious death case of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited Chief Engineer Vimal Negi, a gadget recovered from the scene has emerged as a crucial piece of evidence for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Currently, two CBI teams are analysing digital records and physical evidence at the Shimla SP office, intensifying the investigation and trying to find out if there were any alleged lapses in the earlier probe conducted by the Shimla police special investigation team (SIT).
CBI scrutinises contradictions, procedure
The CBI’s initial findings are learnt to be trying to join the dots regarding alleged discrepancies in the earlier investigation.
Vimal Negi’s body was recovered from the Gobind Sagar Lake in Bilaspur on March 18, 2025, eight days after he went missing. The body was discovered in the Talai area of Bilaspur district. According to sources, the SIT had recovered the body with the help of local fishermen but allegedly mishandled key evidence, a pen drive found on the deceased.
The situation became more complex after revelations that the pen drive was reportedly formatted, with no official record explaining why.
Questions also remain unanswered regarding how many files were retrieved from it and how many were corrupted. These inconsistencies have prompted the CBI to probe whether standard procedures were followed during the recovery and examination of the body.
Digital clues and call records under the scanner
One of the focal points of the CBI’s investigation is the call detail records (CDR) of the SIT officials involved in the case. By mapping the communication logs, the agency is attempting to ascertain who was present at the scene when the body was found and whether the local police station was informed promptly.
Investigators are also looking into whether the forensic search of the body followed proper legal protocol. The agency is piecing together the timeline of events using seized records and hopes to uncover whether there was any attempt to suppress or manipulate digital evidence.
CBI likely to question Vimal Negi’s family too
As part of its ongoing probe, the CBI is expected to record the statement of Vimal Negi’s wife Kiran Negi later this week. Sources indicate that Negi’s brother was already questioned on Tuesday (June 3, 2025) to gather details about the engineer’s movements and mental state prior to his death.
Meanwhile, the two CBI teams stationed at the Grand Hotel in Shimla, which now serves as the agency’s temporary camp office, are sifting through volumes of documents and digital files obtained from the Shimla SP office. The aim is to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to Negi’s death and determine whether there was negligence or deliberate misconduct in the initial investigation.
