CBI arrests IAS officer in Rs169 crore Govt fund scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Haryana IAS officer Pardeep Kumar, the then Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), in connection with the alleged misappropriation of Rs169 crore. According to the CBI investigation, Pardeep Kumar was directly involved in the entire fraud during his tenure as Member Secretary. He allegedly handled the investment process himself and transferred funds far beyond the prescribed limit to IDFC First Bank in the name of creating Fixed Deposits (FDs).
The investigation revealed that HSPCB funds were first transferred to a bank account opened at IDFC First Bank's Sector-32 branch under the pretext of creating FDs. Surprisingly, the department could not provide any approval or official records authorizing the opening of this account. The CBI stated that no Fixed Deposits were ever created. Instead, fraudulent debit transactions were carried out from the account, resulting in the embezzlement of government funds and causing a loss of nearly Rs169 crore to the Haryana Government. This is the single largest financial loss among the eight government departments affected in the overall Rs504 crore scam.
The agency further said that despite repeated attempts, Pardeep Kumar did not join the investigation. After tracing his whereabouts, the CBI arrested him. Pardeep Kumar is the third IAS officer to be arrested in the Rs504 crore government fund misappropriation case. Earlier, the CBI had arrested former Principal Secretary Pankaj Aggarwal, IAS, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of Rs60.54 crore belonging to the Haryana School Education and Agriculture Departments. Former Municipal Commissioner of Panchkula, IAS officer Ram Kumar Singh, was also arrested for the alleged misappropriation of Rs79.46 crore.
The case relates to the alleged misappropriation of Rs504 crore belonging to eight Haryana Government departments. The funds were allegedly siphoned off through fake and non-existent Fixed Deposits and forged debit notes at IDFC First Bank's Sector-32 branch in Chandigarh before being routed to shell companies and fictitious entities. So far, the CBI has filed charge sheets against 17 accused, including six bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana Government officers, two companies, and six private individuals.
The CBI is also investigating two other Chandigarh-based cases involving Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL)/Municipal Corporation Chandigarh and CREST Chandigarh. Charge sheets have already been filed in both cases. In the CSCL case, five bank officials, one CSCL official, and one private individual have been charge-sheeted. In the CREST case, five bank officials, two CREST officials, four private individuals, and two companies have been named as accused. Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Navneet Srivastava had earlier been arrested in connection with the CREST case.

(Freelance Journalist)