Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 23: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested senior IAS officer Pankaj Aggarwal for his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Rs 60.54 crore from Haryana government department accounts maintained with IDFC First Bank, officials said on Tuesday.
Aggarwal, who was serving as Principal Secretary of the Haryana School Education Department and Department of Agriculture, was arrested on Monday following findings that accounts of the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojana Parishad (HSSPP) and Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB) were opened in violation of government guidelines.
According to the CBI, the accounts were opened at the IDFC First Bank branch in Chandigarh Sector 32 during Aggarwal’s tenure, following which funds were transferred beyond permissible limits through fraudulent transactions.
“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,” the CBI spokesperson said.
The case is part of a larger investigation into an alleged Rs 657 crore fraud involving Haryana government and Chandigarh administration accounts maintained at the bank.
The CBI said illegal transactions caused a loss of Rs 504 crore to the Haryana government and Rs 153 crore to the Chandigarh administration.
Aggarwal will be produced before a special court on Tuesday. The CBI had taken over the investigation following a reference from the Haryana government.
“During the investigation, incriminating evidence against Pankaj Aggarwal has been collected,” the agency said.
The alleged fraud involving the two Haryana departments forms part of a larger scam at the IDFC First Bank Sector 32 branch, where funds from eight Haryana government departments were allegedly diverted to shell entities.
The CBI has filed a charge sheet against 17 accused in the Haryana case, including six bank officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana government officials, two companies and six private individuals.
The agency also said senior IAS officer R K Singh, who was arrested in connection with alleged misappropriation involving Municipal Corporation Panchkula funds, has been sent to judicial custody after completion of police remand.
The CBI is also investigating two separate cases related to the IDFC bank scam in Chandigarh — one involving Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) and Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, and another involving CREST Chandigarh.
In the CSCL case, the agency has charge-sheeted five bankers, one CSCL official and one private individual. In the CREST case, five bankers, two CREST officials, four private individuals and two companies have been named in the charge sheet.
A senior Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer has also been arrested in connection with the CREST case, the CBI said.