Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Haryana government has suspended senior IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal days after his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged Rs 657-crore IDFC First Bank scam involving the siphoning of government funds.
Agarwal, a 2000-batch Haryana cadre officer, was arrested by the CBI earlier this week and produced before a court on June 23. He is currently in judicial custody in connection with the alleged fraud involving IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank.
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The CBI has accused Agarwal of playing a key role in the misappropriation of more than Rs 60 crore from the accounts of the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojana Parishad (HSSPP) and the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB).
According to the agency, bank accounts were opened at IDFC First Bank’s Sector 32 branch in Chandigarh in violation of Haryana government norms during Agarwal’s tenure as principal secretary.
Funds were allegedly transferred to these accounts beyond the prescribed limits and subsequently siphoned off through fraudulent transactions.
“These accounts were opened during the tenure of Pankaj Agarwal, the then Principal Secretary. Investigation revealed that through fraudulent transactions in the accounts of these departments, funds were misappropriated, causing a net loss of Rs. 60.54 crore to the government,” CBI’s spokesperson said in a statement.
The alleged fraud in the two departments forms part of a much larger scam being investigated by the agency, involving the siphoning of Rs 504 crore from eight Haryana government departments and Rs 153 crore from the Chandigarh administration, taking the total alleged embezzlement to Rs 657 crore.
The CBI took over the investigation following a reference from the Haryana government and has so far charge-sheeted 17 accused in the Haryana case, including six bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three government officials, two companies and six other individuals.
“During the investigation, incriminating evidence against Pankaj Agarwal has been collected,” the spokesperson said.
Agarwal served as principal secretary in the education department between December 2024 and June 2025 and was also posted as principal secretary in the agriculture department.
The CBI has named 17 accused in its chargesheet in the Haryana case, including six officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana government officials, two companies and six other individuals.
The agency said senior IAS officer R K Singh, who was arrested in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds in the Municipal Corporation of Panchkula, has been remanded to judicial custody following the expiry of his police remand.
The CBI is also investigating two related cases in Chandigarh: one involving Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) and the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, and another linked to CREST Chandigarh.
According to the agency, chargesheets have been filed against five bankers, one CSCL official and one private individual in the CSCL case.
“The CBI has charge-sheeted five bankers, one CSCL official and one private person in the CSCL case; and five bankers, two CREST officials, four private persons and two companies in the CREST case. Further, one senior IFoS (Indian Forest Service) officer has already been arrested in the CREST case,” the spokesperson said.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
