CBI Arrests IAS Officer Pardeep Kumar in Haryana Fund Misappropriation Case
New Delhi, June 30 (TNT): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested IAS officer Pardeep Kumar, the then Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), in connection with the alleged misappropriation of government funds from the Board’s account maintained with the Sector-32 branch of IDFC FIRST Bank.
According to the CBI, the investigation has revealed that Pardeep Kumar had a direct nexus with the alleged fraud and personally handled investment-related work at his level.
The agency alleged that funds meant for fixed deposits were transferred to the bank far in excess of prescribed limits through an account that was allegedly opened without departmental approvals or records.
The agency said no fixed deposits were created. Instead, fraudulent debit transactions were allegedly carried out from the account, resulting in the misappropriation of government funds and causing an estimated loss of ₹169 crore to the Haryana government.
The CBI described it as the single largest financial loss suffered by any of the affected government departments in the larger scam.
The CBI said Pardeep Kumar had been evading investigation and was not joining the probe despite repeated efforts. He was arrested after investigators traced his whereabouts.
The case was transferred to the CBI by the Haryana government from the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
According to the agency, the HSPCB fraud is part of a larger banking scam involving the alleged siphoning of around ₹504 crore belonging to eight Haryana government departments through forged or non-existent fixed deposits and fraudulent debit transactions routed via shell entities.
The CBI said it has so far 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.
Prior to the latest arrest, two senior officers had already been arrested in the Haryana case.
The agency has also taken over two related cases from Chandigarh involving Chandigarh Smart City Limited and the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society, in which charge sheets have already been filed. A senior Indian Forest Service officer has also been arrested in the CREST case, it said.
The CBI said it would continue to investigate the complete trail of the alleged misappropriated public funds and bring those responsible to justice.
TNT TS
