New Delhi, July 1: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Haryana cadre IAS officer Pardeep Kumar on the day of his superannuation in connection with the alleged ₹657-crore Haryana government bank scam, officials said.
Pardeep Kumar, who served as the Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), is the third IAS officer to be arrested in the high-profile case after Ram Kumar Singh and Pankaj Aggarwal.
According to the CBI, Kumar allegedly played a key role in the fraudulent diversion of government funds through accounts maintained at the Sector-32 branch of IDFC First Bank in Chandigarh. Investigators claim that funds meant for fixed deposits were transferred to the bank far beyond prescribed limits without mandatory approvals, while no fixed deposits were actually created. Instead, the money was allegedly siphoned off through fraudulent transactions, causing an estimated loss of around ₹169 crore to the HSPCB alone.
The agency said Kumar had been evading the investigation and was arrested after officials traced his whereabouts. So far, the CBI has filed chargesheets against 17 accused, including bank officials, government employees, private individuals and companies allegedly involved in the fraud.
The broader scam involves the alleged misappropriation of about ₹657 crore from accounts of Haryana government departments and the Chandigarh administration maintained with IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank. The investigation remains underway, with the CBI examining the role of several other officials.
