The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested IAS officer Pardeep Kumar, the former Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), for his alleged role in the misappropriation of Rs 169 crore in government funds through fraudulent bank transactions.
Kumar allegedly approved the transfer of HSPCB funds to an IDFC First Bank branch in Chandigarh under the guise of creating fixed deposits. Investigators claim the fraud caused the largest financial loss ever suffered by a Haryana government department in a banking scam.
The agency said Kumar, who personally supervised investment-related matters during his tenure, authorised transfers far exceeding the prescribed financial limits to the bank’s Sector-32 branch in Chandigarh.
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The arrest was carried out on Kumar’s final working day before his retirement. Originally a 2011-batch Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer, he was later promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
During the investigation, the CBI found that instead of being invested in fixed deposits, the funds were allegedly routed to a bank account opened in the name of HSPCB without the department’s approval or any official documentation. Investigators said no fixed deposits were actually created.
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The agency alleged that the money was subsequently withdrawn through fraudulent debit transactions, leading to the diversion of Rs 169 crore.
According to the CBI, Kumar had been avoiding the investigation despite repeated summons and had sought anticipatory bail from a Panchkula court, where his plea was scheduled to come up for hearing on July 2. He was arrested after investigators traced his location.
The HSPCB case forms part of a wider Rs 504-crore banking fraud involving eight Haryana government departments. The CBI alleges that public funds were siphoned off through forged or fictitious fixed deposits before being diverted via fraudulent debit transactions and routed through shell entities.
The investigation was transferred to the CBI from the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau following a request by the state government.
So far, the agency has filed charge sheets against 17 accused, including six officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana government officials, two companies and six private individuals. Prior to Kumar’s arrest, two senior government officers had already been taken into custody in connection with the case.
The CBI is also investigating two related cases transferred from Chandigarh involving Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) and the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST). Charge sheets have already been filed in both cases, while a senior Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer has also been arrested in the CREST investigation.
The agency said it will continue tracing the trail of the allegedly misappropriated public funds, identify the proceeds of the crime, and ensure that everyone involved is brought to justice.
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