VIB arrests 95 public servants, files 27 FIRs in 2025: DG

Patna: The Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) set a record in 2025 by arresting 95 public servants, registering 27 FIRs, and securing 16 convictions within just seven months. The bureau also seized crores in cash, jewellery, and property documents, exposing high-profile scams involving senior officials and former legislators, director general (DG) J S Gangwar said on Wednesday.

Gangwar said, “In 2026, a new building equipped with the latest technologies will be constructed. It will feature modern investigation resources. Over the past 25 years, vigilance registered an average of 72–73 FIRs annually, but in 2025 the annual average rose to 122 FIRs. On Dec 30 alone, the highest number of 20 FIRs was registered in a single day. If we look at the year-round average, one FIR was registered every second working day. Meanwhile, in 2024, only 15 FIRs were registered. This year, action was taken by registering nearly eight times more cases.”

He added that among the cases registered this year, the highest number—101 FIRs—were related to trap cases. In these, 107 corrupt public servants were caught, including seven female officials and six middlemen. A total of Rs37.80 lakh was seized as bribe money. Last year, only eight such cases were registered. “If we look at the year-wise average of trap cases registered over the past 25 years, it is 47 FIRs. In 2025, the figure was at 101. On average, eight to nine actions were taken each month,” the DG said.

Gangwar further noted that in disproportionate assets (DA) cases, only two FIRs were registered in 2024, while in 2025, cases were filed against 15 corrupt public servants. In these cases, illegal property worth Rs12.77 crore was seized.