Investigators said the money was first routed into a bank account opened in the name of HSPCB before it was allegedly meant to be converted into fixed deposits.
Image: IANS
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested senior IAS officer Pardeep Kumar, the former Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), for his alleged role in the misappropriation of government funds that caused an estimated loss of ₹169 crore to the Haryana government.
According to the CBI, the investigation has uncovered evidence indicating that Kumar played a key role in handling investment-related decisions during his tenure and was directly linked to the financial irregularities. The agency alleged that funds earmarked for fixed deposits were transferred to the Sector-32 branch of IDFC First Bank in Chandigarh far beyond the prescribed financial limits.
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Investigators said the money was first routed into a bank account opened in the name of HSPCB before it was allegedly meant to be converted into fixed deposits. However, the probe has so far found no evidence that any fixed deposits were actually created. Instead, the account was allegedly used to carry out fraudulent debit transactions, resulting in the diversion of public funds and a financial loss of nearly Rs 169 crore.
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The CBI further alleged that the account itself was opened without the mandatory approvals and that the department was unable to produce any official records relating to its creation. The agency described the alleged fraud as the single largest financial loss suffered by any Haryana government department linked to the broader banking scam under investigation.
Officials said Kumar had been avoiding questioning for some time and failed to join the investigation despite repeated notices. He was arrested after the CBI traced his location through sustained efforts.
The case forms part of a larger alleged banking fraud involving nearly ₹504 crore belonging to eight Haryana government departments. The funds were allegedly siphoned off through forged or non-existent fixed deposits and fraudulent banking transactions before being routed through shell entities.
The CBI took over the investigation from the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau following a request from the state government.
So far, the agency has filed charge sheets against 17 accused in the Haryana-linked investigation, including six officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three government officials, two companies and six private individuals. Before Kumar’s arrest, two other senior government officers had already been taken into custody in connection with the case.
The investigation has also expanded to two related financial fraud cases in Chandigarh involving Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) and the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST). Charge sheets have already been filed in both matters against several bank officials, government employees, private individuals and companies. A senior Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer has also been arrested in the CREST case.
The CBI said the investigation is continuing to identify all those involved, trace the complete trail of diverted public money and recover the proceeds of the alleged crime.
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