Suspended IAS officer Pardeep Kumar, an accused in the Rs 657 crore Haryana bank scam, has gone untraceable with his phone switched off, just days before he was due to retire by superannuation on June 30. Sources in the CBI said Kumar has been missing from his residence and is believed to be on the run as the agency moves to arrest him.
Kumar, a 2011-batch IAS officer promoted from the Haryana Civil Services, faces arrest after the CBI arrested two other officers in the case: 2012-batch IAS officer Ram Kumar Singh and 2000-batch IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal, both now in judicial custody. The case centres on allegations that officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank colluded with Haryana government officials, including several IAS officers, to siphon off funds from the accounts of eight Haryana departments and two Chandigarh Administration departments. The CBI has put the total quantum of the scam at Rs 657 crore; the Enforcement Directorate, which is separately investigating the case, has placed it at Rs 645 crore.
Kumar’s alleged role centres on a Rs 169.36 crore fraud at the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), where he served as Member Secretary from August 2022 to December 2025. At the time of his suspension, he was serving as Director, State Transport, and Special Secretary in the Transport Department. According to the CBI, funds from HSPCB’s account were routed to a set of firms Capco Fintech Services, Disha Traders, Mannat Contractor, SRR Planning Gurus Pvt Ltd, Vitamed Solutions and Swastik Desh Projects that investigators describe as shell entities floated to siphon off the money. Of the total, more than Rs 70 crore went to Swastik Desh Projects and over Rs 53 crore to Capco Fintech Services.
The CBI had earlier arrested Saurav Sharma, a data entry operator at the pollution control board, on June 23; a Panchkula court remanded him to four days of CBI custody the next day. Investigators allege Sharma, acting in conspiracy with bank officials, facilitated the processing of investments in favour of the private banks in violation of rules. Another IAS officer, Vineet Garg, who served as HSPCB Chairman, is also under the scanner, with the government granting permission to investigate him under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Kumar, who began his career as a City Magistrate in Karnal in 1999, was suspended on April 8 along with Ram Kumar Singh. Eight IAS officers are currently under the CBI scanner in the broader IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank case. Of these, two have been arrested, one Kumar is on the run, and the remaining five face possible arrest as the investigation continues.