The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a chargesheet against 19 accused individuals in connection with the alleged misappropriation of ₹504 crore in government funds. According to reports from The Economic Times, Rediff Moneynews, and CNBC TV18, the chargesheet was filed before a special court in Panchkula on Wednesday. The accused include six Haryana cadre IAS officers - Mohd. Shayin, Saket Kumar, Pardeep Kumar, Vineet Garg, Ram Kumar Singh and Pankaj Agarwal - along with three IDFC First Bank officials - Shamim Ahmed Dar, Sudha Goyal, and Kuldeep Singh - and one AU Small Finance Bank official - Charanjeet Singh Randhawa. As per CBI spokesperson Beena Yadav, the agency has also named other Haryana government officials as accused including Deepti Kaushik, Rajesh Goyal, Prince Sharma, Saurav Kumar, Parveen Kumar, Surender Jain, Surinder Kaur, Amit Kumar and Jugal Kishor.
As reported by The Economic Times, Rediff Moneynews, and CNBC TV18, the CBI investigation revealed that the accused public servants, in connivance with bank officials, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme involving eight Haryana government departments. The funds were transferred from various empanelled banks into specific branches of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, where accused bank officers were working. According to CBI spokesperson Beena Yadav, the investigation established that the accused public servants, in connivance with the accused bankers of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, orchestrated and executed the fraudulent scheme in a planned sequence. The agency stated that the funds were misappropriated through fraudulent means and transferred to third parties not connected with government departments, with amounts layered through multiple bank accounts and converted into cash. The CBI alleged that the accused wrongfully enriched themselves through this process.
According to the CBI statement reported by The Economic Times, Rediff Moneynews, and CNBC TV18, the affected departments include the Department of Panchayat, Municipal Corporations of Panchkula and Kalka, Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad, Haryana Labour Welfare Board, Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, and Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited. The investigation established that guidelines of the Finance Department, Haryana government, on financial prudence and fraud prevention were violated during this process. As per CBI spokesperson Beena Yadav, the funds of eight Haryana government departments from various empanelled banks were transferred into specific branches of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, where the accused bank officers are working, as part of the conspiracy by opening the bank accounts in these bank branches.
As reported by The Economic Times, Rediff Moneynews, and CNBC TV18, the CBI has conducted 54 searches and seized incriminating evidence including gold worth approximately ₹20 crore in this case. The agency has arrested 26 accused persons so far and has chargedheeted 18 other individuals in this case, which included officials from both banks, public servants of the state government, private individuals and private companies. With the latest chargesheet filing, the total number of persons chargesheeted in this case now stands at 37. The CBI has invoked charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, destruction of evidence, forgery, using false documents as genuine, falsification of accounts, criminal breach of trust and abetment under BNS, and offences of bribery and criminal misconduct under Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the CBI statement reported by The Economic Times, Rediff Moneynews, and CNBC TV18, the agency has taken over two other related cases - one pertaining to Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) and Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, and another relating to Chandigarh Renewable Energy and Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST). Chargesheets have already been filed in both these cases, with all three cases remaining under further investigation against other suspects and accused persons. As per CBI spokesperson Beena Yadav, all three cases would remain under further investigation against other suspects/accused.
