CBI raids IAS officers’ premises in Rs 661 crore Haryana fund diversion probe

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has carried out searches at multiple locations linked to senior Haryana cadre officers and a private consultancy firm as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of Rs 661 crore in government funds parked in bank accounts of several Haryana government departments and departments under the Chandigarh administration.

Official sources said the agency conducted simultaneous searches at six locations across Chandigarh, Panchkula, Delhi-NCR and Noida. The raids were carried out at premises linked to IAS officers Pankaj Agarwal, Mohammad Shayin and Pradeep Kumar, IFS officer Navneet Kumar Srivastava, as well as Noida-based Vipam Consultancy Private Limited and its director.

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During the searches, investigators seized documents, mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices for examination. The action forms part of a wider probe into alleged financial irregularities involving government funds deposited in bank accounts linked to multiple departments.

According to preliminary findings, the investigating agency suspects that certain bank accounts were opened and operated in a manner that facilitated the transfer of government money to other accounts. Investigators are examining whether any public servants or private entities derived financial benefits from the transactions and whether proper approvals were obtained before the movement of funds.

The case relates to an alleged banking fraud involving funds belonging to eight Haryana government departments. The amount under scrutiny, initially estimated at around Rs 560 crore, is now stated to have risen to Rs 661 crore as the investigation progressed.

The matter was first examined by the Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Following indications that the role of some senior officials required deeper scrutiny, the investigation was subsequently handed over to the CBI.

Sources familiar with the probe said investigators are also examining recent property transactions and financial records linked to certain individuals under scrutiny. During the searches, the agency reportedly recovered documents related to real estate purchases and is now analysing banking transactions of officials and their family members to establish whether there is any connection with the alleged diversion of funds.

The CBI has also focused on the financial trail involving Vipam Consultancy Private Limited. Investigators are examining allegations that money generated through the transactions was routed through the company’s accounts before being transferred elsewhere. The agency is tracing the movement of funds and identifying all beneficiaries connected to the transactions.

A chargesheet has already been filed before the Special CBI Court in Panchkula in connection with the case. According to investigators, the chargesheet refers to the alleged role of certain public servants associated with the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) and the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojana Parishad (HSSPP).

The probe is centred on allegations that government funds deposited in accounts maintained with IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank were subsequently transferred through a series of transactions to other accounts.

Officials said the investigation remains ongoing and further action cannot be ruled out. The agency is expected to file supplementary charge sheets if additional evidence or involvement of other individuals emerges during the course of the probe.

The case has already witnessed extensive questioning of serving officials. Earlier, the CBI had interrogated senior officers and seized electronic devices as part of its efforts to determine how the transactions were authorised and who was responsible for approving the movement of public funds.

Investigators are now focusing on establishing the chain of approvals, identifying all beneficiaries and determining whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the alleged diversion of government money.