Investigation – CBI Arrests Haryana IAS Officer Before Retirement in IDFC First Bank Fraud Case
Investigation – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Haryana IAS officer Pardeep Kumar on Tuesday in connection with the alleged Rs 504-crore IDFC First Bank fraud case, just hours before he was scheduled to retire from government service. Kumar, who served as the Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), is accused of playing a key role in the alleged financial irregularities involving government funds. Investigators had reportedly been searching for him for several months before tracing his location and taking him into custody. With his arrest, Kumar has become the third IAS officer to face action in the case after Ram Kumar Singh and Pankaj Agarwal.
Allegations Linked to HSPCB Investment Decisions
Pardeep Kumar, originally a 2011-batch Haryana Civil Services officer who was later inducted into the IAS, was serving with the HSPCB during the period when the alleged fraud took place. The Haryana government had already suspended him and fellow IAS officer Ram Kumar Singh on April 8 following allegations connected to the case.
According to the CBI, Kumar directly supervised the pollution control board’s investment activities and allegedly approved the transfer of public funds into fixed deposits beyond permissible financial limits. Investigators claim these actions were closely linked to the suspected fraud, with Kumar handling investment-related decisions without following the required administrative procedures.
Unauthorised Account Raises Serious Questions
The investigation has revealed that the bank account used for routing HSPCB funds into so-called fixed deposits allegedly lacked any official approval or supporting documentation. The CBI stated that departmental records failed to establish when the account was created or under whose authority it was opened.
Officials believe the account was operated without proper sanction while large sums of public money continued to be transferred into it under the claim of creating fixed deposits. The agency alleges that these transactions formed part of a carefully planned financial conspiracy.
Major Financial Loss for Haryana Department
Investigators have stated that the fixed deposits shown in official records were never actually created. Instead, the money was allegedly withdrawn through fraudulent debit transactions. As a result, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board is believed to have suffered a financial loss of nearly Rs 169 crore, making it the worst-affected department among those linked to the alleged scam.
Reports also suggest that Kumar did not appear before investigators despite repeated notices after the case surfaced. His anticipatory bail application was filed before a Special CBI Court in Panchkula and was scheduled to be heard on July 2. According to media reports, his legal team argued that decisions were taken under the supervision of the HSPCB chairman and that Kumar acted based on verbal directions.
Background of the IDFC First Bank Fraud Case
The case revolves around the alleged diversion of government funds deposited with IDFC First Bank’s Sector-32 branch in Chandigarh and AU Small Finance Bank. The CBI alleges that nearly Rs 504 crore belonging to eight Haryana government departments was siphoned off through forged or non-existent fixed deposits and fake banking transactions before being routed to shell companies.
Some reports indicate that when two Chandigarh government departments are included, the total suspected diversion could reach nearly Rs 645 crore.
The CBI assumed control of the investigation after the Haryana government requested the transfer of the case from the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. Earlier, former IDFC First Bank area head Shamim Dar and former AU Small Finance Bank branch manager Charanjeet Singh Randhawa were also arrested during the investigation.
Chargesheets Filed Against Multiple Accused
The investigation has expanded significantly, with the CBI filing chargesheets against 17 accused so far. Those named include bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, government employees, private individuals and two companies.
The agency has also taken over two related investigations from the Chandigarh administration involving Chandigarh Smart City Limited, the Municipal Corporation, and the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST). Several accused have already been chargesheeted in these linked cases as the probe into the alleged financial fraud continues.