CBI arrests senior IAS officer Pankaj Aggarwal in Haryana-IDFC First Bank case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested IAS officer Pankaj Aggarwal, who was serving as Principal Secretary in the School Education and Agriculture departments at the time, in connection with an alleged embezzlement of government funds from accounts belonging to the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad (HSSPP) and the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB).

The accounts were held at IDFC First Bank's Sector 32 branch in Chandigarh.

Aggarwal is scheduled to be produced before a court on Tuesday. The CBI took over the investigation following a request from the Haryana government.

According to the agency's probe, the accounts were allegedly opened in violation of existing guidelines issued by the Haryana Finance Department, and funds exceeding the prescribed limits were subsequently transferred into them.

The accounts in question were opened while Pankaj Aggarwal was serving as Principal Secretary, investigators said.

According to the probe, fraudulent transactions carried out through the accounts of the two departments led to the alleged diversion of government funds, resulting in an estimated loss of ₹60.54 crore to the state exchequer. Investigators claim to have gathered evidence linking Aggarwal to the case.

The CBI took over the investigation from Haryana's State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau after the state government requested a central probe.

Officials allege that the fraud involving the two departments accounted for about ₹60.54 crore and formed part of a larger scam linked to the Sector 32 branch of IDFC First Bank in Chandigarh. In the broader case, approximately ₹504 crore belonging to eight Haryana government departments was allegedly siphoned off and channelled through shell entities.

The CBI has so far filed chargesheets against 17 individuals and entities in connection with the Haryana case. Those named include six officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana government employees, two companies, and six private individuals.

Another IAS officer RK Singh arrested

In a related development, senior IAS officer RK Singh, who was arrested over the alleged diversion of funds involving the Municipal Corporation of Panchkula, has been sent to judicial custody following the completion of his police remand.

The agency has also assumed control of two additional investigations previously handled in Chandigarh. These cases involve alleged irregularities linked to the Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL)/Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CREST), Chandigarh. The CBI has already submitted a chargesheet in each of these cases.

In the CSCL case, the CBI has filed chargesheets against five bank officials, one CSCL employee, and a private individual. In the separate CREST case, the agency has named five bankers, two CREST officials, four private persons, and two companies in its chargesheet.

The investigation into the CREST matter has also led to the arrest of a senior Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer.

The CBI stated it remains focused on identifying and prosecuting all those involved, while continuing efforts to trace the complete flow of the allegedly misappropriated public funds.