CBI arrests IAS officer in `60 crore scam

The CBI arrested senior IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal on Tuesday for allegedly siphoning over `60 crore from Haryana Government accounts at IDFC First Bank, officials said. Agarwal, a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, served as Principal Secretary in the Education Department from December 10, 2024, to June 16, 2025, and in the Agriculture Department from June 20, 2025, to March 24 this year, according to officials.

The alleged misappropriation involved funds from the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojana Parishad (HSSPP) and the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB). Agarwal was taken into custody on Monday after investigators found that accounts were opened at the bank’s Chandigarh Sector 32 branch in violation of Haryana Government guidelines, and funds were transferred beyond permitted limits. “These accounts were opened during Pankaj Agarwal’s tenure as Principal Secretary. The investigation revealed that fraudulent transactions in these departmental accounts led to the misappropriation of funds, resulting in a net loss of Rs 60.54 crore to the Government,” the CBI spokesperson said.

This case is part of a broader CBI investigation into the embezzlement of `657 crore from Haryana Government and Chandigarh administration accounts at IDFC First Bank. The illegal transactions resulted in a loss of `504 crore to the Haryana Government and `153 crore to the Chandigarh administration, according to the spokesperson. Agarwal is scheduled to appear before the special court on Tuesday. The probe was initiated at the request of the Haryana Government.

“During the investigation, incriminating evidence against Pankaj Agarwal has been collected,” the spokesperson said. The fraud in these two departments involved the misappropriation of about `60.54 crore as part of a larger scam at the Sector 32 IDFC First Bank branch. In total, `504 crore from eight Haryana Government departments was siphoned off and routed to shell entities, according to the statement.

The CBI has named 17 accused in its charge sheet in this Haryana case, including six bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three Haryana Government public servants, two companies, and six other individuals.

“IAS officer RK Singh, who was arrested in this case in relation to misappropriation in Municipal Corporation Panchkula, has been remanded in judicial custody after the expiry of his police remand,” the spokesperson said. The CBI is also investigating two related cases in Chandigarh: one involving Chandigarh Smart City and the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, and another concerning CREST Chandigarh.

The CBI has chargesheeted five bankers, one CSCL official, and one private individual in the CSCL case; and five bankers, two CREST officials, four private individuals, and two companies in the CREST case. Additionally, one senior Indian Forest Service officer has already been arrested in the CREST case,” the spokesperson said