New Delhi, September 2: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken significant action in the high-profile Haryana IDFC fund scam involving a misappropriation of ₹504 crore. On Wednesday, the CBI filed a third charge sheet against 19 accused individuals before a special judge in Panchkula.
This case revolves around the embezzlement of government funds from various departments of the Haryana government, which were deposited in IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank.
The new charge sheet includes prominent names, featuring six IAS officers from Haryana, three officials from IDFC First Bank, one from AU Small Finance Bank, and nine other officials from the Haryana state government. They face serious charges, including criminal conspiracy, fraud, destruction of evidence, forgery, using fake documents as genuine, account manipulation, criminal breach of trust, incitement to commit offenses under the BNS Act, and corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Investigations revealed that the accused government employees conspired with bank officials to execute a planned scheme. Funds from eight departments of the Haryana government were transferred from authorized banks to specific branches of IDFC and AU Small Finance Bank, where the accused bank officials were stationed. New bank accounts were opened for this purpose.
This entire process blatantly violated the financial prudence and fraud prevention guidelines set by the Haryana government’s finance department. Funds were fraudulently withdrawn from these accounts and transferred to third parties with no connection to government departments. The amounts were later circulated through various bank accounts and converted into cash, benefiting the accused.
The scam has impacted eight departments in Haryana, including the Panchayat Department, Panchkula and Kalka Municipal Corporations, Haryana School Education Project Council, Haryana Labour Welfare Board, Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, and Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited. The total amount involved in the scam is reported to be ₹504 crore.
The CBI took over this investigation at the request of the Haryana government from the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau. Previously, the CBI had filed a charge sheet against 18 other accused, including bank officials, government employees, and private companies. With the new charge sheet, a total of 37 individuals are now implicated.
The CBI has conducted searches at 54 locations and seized crucial evidence, including gold worth approximately ₹20 crore. So far, 26 accused individuals have been arrested.
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