CBI arrests IAS officer in Haryana Govt. case of embezzlement of funds

Image for representational purposes only. File

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday (June 30, 2026) arrested an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former member secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in connection with the alleged embezzlement of ₹169 crore from government funds.

The agency said Pardeep Kumar was allegedly involved in the scam. The funds were allegedly diverted from the HSPCB account maintained at Sector-32, Chandigarh, IDFC First Bank branch.

“All investment related work was handled by him at his level. Fixed deposit funds were sent to IDFC First Bank far beyond the prescribed limits. To create fixed deposits, HSPCB funds were first transferred to an account opened at IDFC First Bank, Branch Sector-32, Chandigarh,” the CBI said, adding that the department could not produce any account opening record.

The agency alleged that the account was opened without any approvals and funds were transferred to it under the pretext of creating fixed deposits. “Instead, fraudulent debit transactions were made from this account leading to misappropriation of government funds and causing a net loss of approximately Rs 169 crore to the Haryana government. This represents the largest financial loss suffered by any of the concerned Haryana government departments in the entire scam,” it said.

Mr. Kumar is said to have evaded the investigation for some time and did not join the inquiry despite repeated efforts.

On the recommendation of the Haryana government, the CBI had earlier taken over the case from the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. The HSPCB case is part of a larger banking “fraud” at the Sector-32 branch of IDFC First Bank, Chandigarh, where government funds of about ₹ 504 crore linked to eight Haryana government departments were allegedly siphoned off through fake/non-existent fixed deposits and fraudulent debit transactions. They were then routed through shell entities.

CBI has so far filed chargesheet against 17 accused in the Haryana case, including six bank officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three government employees, two companies and six private individuals.

Those arrested earlier include Ram Kumar Singh, then commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, in the ₹79.46 crore case; and Pankaj Aggarwal, the then principal secretary of the Haryana Education Department and Agriculture Department, in the ₹60.54 crore case.

The CBI also arrested two bank officials Shamim Dar, then area manager of IDFC First Bank, and Charanjeet Singh Randhawa, then branch manager of AU Small Finance Bank (Mohali), in connection with the misappropriation of funds.

Published – 01 Jul 2026 01:47 IST