By The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its crackdown on the multi-crore alleged IDFC First Bank fraud, arresting Haryana IAS officer Pradeep Kumar on the day of his retirement while the Haryana government suspended senior IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal following his arrest in the same case. The developments mark a significant escalation in the probe into one of the state’s biggest alleged financial scams involving government funds.
The investigation revolves around the alleged siphoning of Rs 657 crore, including Rs 504 crore from eight Haryana government departments and Rs 153 crore linked to departments under the Chandigarh administration. Investigators allege that the funds were diverted through fraudulent banking transactions involving IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank.
Pradeep Kumar, a 2011-batch Haryana Civil Services officer later promoted to the IAS, was serving as Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) when the alleged irregularities took place. According to the CBI, he played a central role in handling investment-related decisions that led to the transfer of government funds into an account at IDFC First Bank’s Sector 32 branch in Chandigarh.
The agency alleges that the account was opened without mandatory approvals and that government money was transferred in the name of creating fixed deposits. However, investigators claim no fixed deposits were actually created. Instead, the funds were allegedly withdrawn through fraudulent debit transactions, causing an estimated Rs 169 crore loss to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board—the highest loss suffered by any single department in the overall scam.
The CBI said Kumar had not cooperated with the investigation and was absconding despite repeated attempts to secure his presence. He was eventually traced and arrested, becoming the third senior bureaucrat held in the case after IAS officers R.K. Singh and Pankaj Agarwal. Earlier this year, the Haryana government had already suspended both Kumar and R.K. Singh over their alleged involvement.
In a parallel development, the Haryana government suspended 2000-batch IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal, who was arrested by the CBI earlier and is currently in judicial custody. Investigators have accused Agarwal of facilitating the alleged diversion of more than Rs 60 crore from the accounts of the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojana Parishad (HSSPP) and the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB).
According to the CBI, bank accounts linked to these departments were opened at IDFC First Bank in violation of state government financial norms during Agarwal’s tenure as Principal Secretary. Funds were allegedly transferred beyond approved limits before being siphoned off through a series of fraudulent transactions.
The investigation has also led to the arrest of two former bank officials—Shamim Dar, then Area Head of IDFC First Bank, and Charanjeet Singh Randhawa, former Branch Manager of AU Small Finance Bank’s Mohali branch. The agency alleges they facilitated the opening of accounts and processed transactions that enabled the diversion of public funds.
So far, the CBI has filed chargesheets against 17 accused in the Haryana case, including bank officials, government officers, private individuals and companies. The agency is simultaneously investigating two related cases involving the Chandigarh administration, including alleged financial irregularities in Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) and the Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST), where separate chargesheets have already been filed.
The CBI has maintained that the investigation is continuing to identify the complete money trail and hold every individual involved in the alleged misappropriation of public funds accountable.
