CBI arrests HSPCB Senior Accounts Officer in govt fund scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Parveen Kumar, the then Senior Accounts Officer of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), in connection with the misappropriation of government funds from an HSPCB account maintained at the Sector 32 branch of IDFC First Bank in Chandigarh. According to the CBI, investigation revealed that the bank account was opened clandestinely by Parveen Kumar without any departmental approval or official record. The account was allegedly operated to facilitate fraudulent transactions through which government funds were siphoned off.
The agency alleged that HSPCB funds were misappropriated using cheques and debit notes, with the diverted money routed to shell entities controlled by the accused. Although the account was opened with Parveen Kumar as the authorised signatory, the mobile number linked to the account belonged to another accused who was not an employee of the department, allegedly to avoid detection of the fraudulent transactions. Based on incriminating evidence collected during the investigation, the CBI established his active role in the conspiracy and arrested him on July 2, 2026. The agency has already arrested two other HSPCB officials in the same case.
The HSPCB fraud is part of a much larger scam involving the Sector 32 branch of IDFC First Bank, where approximately ₹504 crore belonging to eight Haryana Government departments was allegedly siphoned off through forged or non-existent fixed deposits and fraudulent debit notes before being routed to shell entities. So far, the CBI has filed charge sheets against 17 accused, including six bank officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana Government officials, two companies, and six private individuals. With the arrest of Parveen Kumar, the total number of arrests in the case has risen to 25.

(Freelance Journalist)