Senior IAS officer Pardeep Kumar was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on his retirement day in connection with an alleged Rs 504 crore embezzlement involving Haryana government funds held with IDFC First Bank.
The CBI alleged that Kumar bypassed departmental procedures to transfer funds of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) into an unauthorised bank account in Chandigarh. The agency said the money was intended to be placed in fixed deposits, but no deposits were created.
The investigation found that the funds were diverted through fraudulent debit transactions, resulting in a net loss of Rs 169 crore to the Haryana government. According to reports, it is the largest loss suffered by any department in the wider multi-crore fraud.
The arrests mark a key development in the investigation into the alleged diversion of public money through unauthorised bank accounts and fraudulent transactions.
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CBI arrests two former bank executives
The CBI also arrested Shamim Dar, former Area Head of IDFC First Bank, and Charanjeet Singh Randhawa, former Branch Manager of AU Small Finance Bank, for their alleged roles in opening the unauthorised accounts and facilitating the transfer of public funds to shell entities.
"Investigation revealed that both accused, in their respective capacities as bank officials, played incriminating roles in facilitating opening of bank accounts and in facilitating fraudulent transactions through which public funds were diverted," a CBI spokesperson said, according to PTI.
The agency had earlier received mandatory approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to investigate Kumar.
Who is Pardeep Kumar?
Pardeep Kumar began his career in 1999 as City Magistrate in Karnal. A member of the Haryana Civil Services, he was inducted into the Indian Administrative Service as part of the 2011 batch.
The alleged financial irregularities took place during his tenure as Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, where he handled the investment portfolio. Before his arrest, Kumar was serving as Director of State Transport and Special Secretary in the department.
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