The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested suspended IAS officer Pardeep Kumar on Tuesday, the day of his superannuation, in connection with the Rs 657-crore bank scam. Kumar served as the Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) at the time of the alleged fraud.
Third IAS Officer Arrested in Expanding Probe
Kumar is the third IAS officer to be arrested in this case, following Ram Kumar Singh and Pankaj Agarwal. The CBI is also examining the roles of five other IAS officers, indicating a widening investigation into the scandal.
According to the CBI, Kumar's actions as Member Secretary had a direct nexus with the fraud. The agency stated that he handled all investment-related work at his level and sent funds for fixed deposits to IDFC First Bank far in excess of prescribed limits.
Key Allegations and Modus Operandi
The HSPCB maintained its account with the IDFC First Bank branch in Sector 32, Chandigarh. The CBI alleged that funds meant for fixed deposits were first transferred to an account opened in the name of the HSPCB at that bank. However, investigators found no official record with the department regarding the opening of this account.
"Surprisingly, there is no record which the department could produce with regard to opening of this account. The conspiracy was so deep that the account got opened without any approvals and funds were transferred into the account in the name of creating fixed deposits," the CBI said.
The probe revealed that no fixed deposits were actually created. Instead, fraudulent debit transactions were allegedly carried out from the account, resulting in the misappropriation of government funds and causing a net loss of around Rs 169 crore to the Haryana government. The CBI claimed that "this represents the single largest financial loss suffered by any of the affected government departments of Haryana in the overall scam."
Evasion and Arrest
The CBI noted that Kumar had been evading the investigation and was not cooperating. "He was on the run. He was arrested after the CBI successfully traced his whereabouts," the agency said. Kumar, 60, had been suspended on April 8 after his name surfaced during the probe.
In his anticipatory bail application before a Panchkula court, Kumar blamed his then superior, former HSPCB chairman Vineet Garg, an IAS officer, alleging that investments of surplus funds in IDFC First Bank were made on the chairman's "oral instructions." He contended that the investments exceeded the Rs 50-crore ceiling prescribed under the Haryana Finance Department's policy dated July 12, 2024, for a first-time empanelled bank. Kumar further alleged that the chairman favoured IDFC First Bank despite better interest rates being available from other banks.
Broader Investigation and Chargesheets
So far, the CBI has filed chargesheets against 17 accused in the bank scam, including six officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana government public servants, two companies, and six private individuals. The investigation continues as the agency examines the involvement of additional officers.
