CBI ARRESTS PARDEEP KUMAR, IAS, THE THEN MEMBER SECRETARY OF HARYANA STATE POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD IN FUND MISAPPROPRIATION CASE

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Sh. 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.
Investigation has revealed that the actions of Sh. Pardeep Kumar, as Member Secretary, had a direct nexus with the fraud. He himself handled the entire investment related work at his level. 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. 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 ₹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. 
Sh. 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.
It may be recalled that the 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 ₹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.
So far, the CBI has filed chargesheets against 17 accused in the Haryana case, including six bank officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three public servants of the Government of Haryana, two companies and six private individuals. Prior to the present arrest, the CBI had already arrested two senior officers in connection with the case.
The CBI has also taken over two related cases from the Union Territory of Chandigarh—one pertaining to Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL)/Municipal Corporation Chandigarh and another relating to Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST). Chargesheets have already been filed in both cases. In the CSCL case, the CBI has chargesheeted five bankers, one CSCL official and one private individual. In the CREST case, chargesheets have been filed against five bankers, two CREST officials, four private individuals and two companies. A senior IFoS officer has already been arrested in the CREST case.
The CBI remains committed to bringing all those responsible to justice and ensuring that the complete trail of misappropriated public funds is identified and the proceeds of crime are effectively traced.