New Delhi, 23 June (H.S.): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested senior IAS officer Pankaj Agrawal in connection with the high-profile IDFC financial irregularities case in Haryana. The accused officer will be produced before the court on Tuesday. Agrawal had served as the then Principal Secretary of the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojana Parishad (HSSPP) and the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB).
The CBI said the case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of government funds through bank accounts opened at the Sector 32 branch of IDFC FIRST Bank in Chandigarh. The investigation revealed that the accounts of the two government departments were opened in violation of the prevailing guidelines issued by the Haryana Finance Department, following which funds exceeding the prescribed limits were transferred into them. These accounts were opened during Agrawal's tenure. Fraudulent transactions were subsequently carried out through these accounts, resulting in a net loss of Rs 60.54 crore to the state exchequer. The CBI stated that it has gathered substantial evidence against the accused officer during the course of its investigation.
The agency said it had taken over the investigation from the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau at the request of the state government. The fraud involving HSSPP and HSAMB accounts forms part of a much larger scam centred on the Sector 32 branch of IDFC FIRST Bank in Chandigarh, involving the alleged diversion of approximately Rs 60.54 crore. Overall, nearly Rs 504 crore belonging to eight departments of the Haryana government was allegedly siphoned off and routed to shell companies through fraudulent transactions. The CBI has so far filed charge sheets against 17 accused persons, including six bank officials, three government employees, two companies, and six private individuals.
The agency further stated that another senior IAS officer, R.K. Singh, who was arrested in connection with the embezzlement case involving the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, in the same scam, has been remanded to judicial custody after the completion of his police remand.
In addition, the CBI has taken over the investigation of two other cases from the Union Territory of Chandigarh. One case relates to Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL), while the other pertains to the Chandigarh Society for the Promotion of Information Technology, Electronics and Communication (CREST). Charge sheets have already been filed in both cases, and in the CREST case, a senior Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer has already been arrested.
The CBI said it remains committed to bringing every individual involved in the embezzlement of public funds to justice.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
