THE CENTRAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS (CBI) has made another arrest in the high-profile Haryana IDFC First Bank Fraud Case, arresting IAS officer Pardeep Kumar the day he was scheduled to retire from service. On June 30, 2026, the IAS officer, a member secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), was picked up by the CBI on suspicion that he facilitated the misappropriation of Rs 169 crore in the government funds. 

Kumar allegedly authorized the transfer of the stolen funds to an IDFC First Bank branch in Chandigarh under the pretext of creating fixed deposits. The officer was suspended by the Haryana state government previously and has been evading his arrest for a while. 

"The investigation has revealed that the actions of 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 (FDs) were sent to IDFC First Bank far in excess of the prescribed limits," the earlier report quoted a CBI spokesperson as saying in a statement.

See also: Haryana Suspends IAS Officer Pankaj Agarwal After CBI Arrest in ₹657 Crore IDFC First Bank Fraud Case

Pardeep Kumar was originally a 2011-batch officer of Haryana Civil Services and was later promoted to the rank of IAS officer.

The CBI found that Kumar personally handled investment-related work and authorized fund transfers that were well beyond the stipulated limits to IDFC First Bank's Sector-32 branch in Chandigarh. The agency also stated that the misappropriated funds were first transferred to a bank account that was registered in HSPCB’s name. This was done without any departmental approval or official records. No fixed deposits were ever created either, instead fraudulent transactions took place resulting in the siphoning off Rs 169 crore.

What is the Haryana IDFC First Bank Fraud Case?

Pardeep Kumar and his misappropriation of Rs 169 crore from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board forms the part of the larger scam in the Haryana government that involves the siphoning of a total of Rs 657 crore rupees from several government departments. Various IAS officers, in collusion with employees of the IDFC First Bank’s branch , allegedly misappropriated a total of Rs 657 in government funds from eight departments of the Haryana state government through fraudulent fixed deposits and bank transactions.

See also: CBI Arrests Suspended IAS Officer in Haryana’s Rs 657 Crore Government Funds Scam

CBI arrests two bank employees in Rs 657 crore embezzlement case

In another update, the CBI has arrested two bank employees of the IDFC First Bank that were involved in the Rs 657 crore embezzlement case. On June 30, 2026, the Bureau apprehended Shamim Dar, then Area Head of IDFC First Bank, and Charanjeet Singh Randhawa, then Branch Manager of AU Small Finance Bank’s Mohali branch. 

The Central Bureau of Investigation says that both the individuals played a key role in facilitating the opening of the bank accounts, and also processed the fraudulent transactions via which the government funds were being misappropriated.

(Edited by Anshika Verma)

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