CBI Nabs IAS Officer in ₹169 Crore Haryana Funds Scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pardeep Kumar on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of ₹169 crore in government funds. Kumar, a former Member Secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), is accused of orchestrating fraudulent financial transactions that caused significant losses to the state exchequer.

According to the CBI, Kumar personally managed all investment-related activities for HSPCB. Funds intended for fixed deposits were sent to IDFC First Bank's Sector-32 branch in Chandigarh in amounts far exceeding prescribed limits. The agency stated that HSPCB funds were first transferred into an account opened at that branch without required approvals. Instead of creating fixed deposits, fraudulent debit transactions were carried out from this account, resulting in a net loss of approximately ₹169 crore to the Haryana government.

The CBI noted that this represents the single largest financial loss among the affected government departments in a broader scam. Kumar had reportedly been evading investigation and failed to cooperate despite repeated summons.

The case originated from a reference by the Haryana government, following which the CBI took over the probe from the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. This HSPCB case is part of a larger banking fraud at the same IDFC First Bank branch, where government funds totalling about ₹504 crore from eight Haryana government departments were allegedly siphoned off through forged or non-existent fixed deposits and fraudulent debit transactions, later routed through shell entities.

So far, the CBI has filed charge-sheets against 17 accused in the Haryana case. These include six bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three public servants, two companies, and six private individuals. Among those previously arrested are Ram Kumar Singh, former Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, in a ₹79.46-crore case, and Pankaj Aggarwal, former Principal Secretary in the Department of School Education and Agriculture, in a ₹60.54-crore case. Bank officials Shamim Dar (former Area Head, IDFC First Bank) and Charanjeet Singh Randhawa (former Branch Manager, AU Small Finance Bank, Mohali) have also been arrested in connection with the misappropriation.