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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Pardeep Kumar, IAS, the then Member Secretary, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), in connection with the misappropriation of government funds from the account of HSPCB maintained with the Sector-32, Chandigarh Branch of IDFC First Bank. Kumar was to retire from his service today. The anti corruption probe agency has also arrested two former two bank officials. "Investigation has revealed that the actions ofPardeep Kumar, as Member Secretary, had a direct nexus with the fraud. He himself handled the entire investment related work at his level," said CBI on Wednesday. "Funds for fixed deposits were sent to IDFC First bank far in excess of the prescribed limits. For creating the fixed deposits,
the funds of HSPCB were first transferred into an account opened at IDFC First Bank, Sector – 32 Branch, Chandigarh. 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 transferred into the account in the name of creating fixed deposits," CBI said. "Investigation conducted so far revealed that no fixed deposits were created in this bank. Instead, fraudulent debit transactions were carried out from this account, resulting in the misappropriation of government funds and causing a net loss of approximately Rs 169 crore to the Government of Haryana. This represents the single largest financial loss suffered by any of the affected government departments of Haryana in the overall scam," CBI said. "Pardeep Kumar had been evading investigation for some time and was not joining the investigation despite repeated efforts. He was arrested after CBI successfully traced his whereabouts," CBI said. Earlier CBI had arrested two IAS officials. CBI had taken over the investigation from the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Haryana, at the request of the State Government.The fraud relating to HSPCB forms part of a larger banking fraud at the Sector-32 Branch of IDFC First Bank, Chandigarh, wherein government funds amounting to approximately Rs 504 crore belonging to eight departments of the Government of Haryana were allegedly siphoned off through forged/non-existent Fixed Deposits and fraudulent debit transactions, and subsequently routed through shell entities. In February, IDFC First Bank had returned Rs 583 crore to Haryana government.
