Two more arrested in Rs 590cr bank fraud; tally rises to 10

Panchkula: The Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested two more suspects —Priyanka and Anuj Kaushal — in the Rs 590 crore fraud case linked to IDFC First Bank. The arrests were made on Monday night, taking the total number of people held in the scam to 10. Both accused were produced in a local court on Tuesday, and the bureau secured one-day police remand for further interrogation.On the same day, the ACB also presented two previously arrested accused — Arun Sharma and Seema Dhiman — in court following the completion of their three-day police remand. The court subsequently sent them to judicial custody.Previous arrests in the case include former IDFC First bank officials Ribhav Rishi and Abhay Kumar, besides Swati Singla and Abhishek Singla, partners in Swastik Desh Project, the firm through which diverted govt funds were allegedly routed. Later, Naresh Kumar Bhuwani, superintendent in the office of the director, development and panchayat, Haryana, and Manish Jindal from Mohali were also taken into custody.According to officials, on Feb 11, Haryana govt formed a three-member committee and directed the ACB to register an FIR on Feb 23 after completing an inquiry. The committee found that multiple cheques and debit notes were processed using forged signatures of former director-general D K Behera, who had left the post in Oct 2025.In one case, the bank cleared a cheque where the amount written in figures — Rs 2.50 crore — did not match the amount mentioned in words. Investigators also found that around Rs 46.56 crore was transferred from IDFC First bank account to an AU Small Finance Bank account. However, the ACB said relevant supporting documents from AU bank were not fully provided despite repeated requests.Preliminary findings indicate that funds were siphoned from various departments, including Haryana State Pollution Control Board and the municipal corporation of Panchkula. These amounts were allegedly channelled through Swastik Desh Project to several entities and spouses of the accused.The suspects have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and various sections of BNS. Officials maintain that more unidentified bank employees and govt staff are suspected to be part of the conspiracy. Further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.MSID:: 129398988 413 |