CBI charges 15 in ₹504 crore IDFC First Bank-Haryana scam
Synopsis
A routine bank account closure request by a Haryana government official inadvertently exposed a ₹504 crore fraud involving bank insiders and public servants across multiple state departments. The CBI has now charged 15 accused — including officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank — in what is shaping up as one of the largest state-government fund misappropriation cases in recent Haryana history.
Key Takeaways
The CBI filed a charge sheet on 21 May against 15 accused in the ₹504 crore Haryana government funds misappropriation case.
Accused include six bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank , and three Haryana government public servants .
Charges include criminal conspiracy , cheating , forgery , and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 .
The fraud came to light in February 2025 during a routine account closure by the Development and Panchayats Department .
IDFC First Bank has reportedly repaid ₹557 crore to the affected Haryana government departments.
The Enforcement Directorate is conducting a parallel money laundering investigation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, 21 May filed a charge sheet before a Special CBI Court in Panchkula against 15 accused in connection with the alleged misappropriation of ₹504 crore belonging to the Haryana government. The accused include bank officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, public servants from multiple Haryana departments, and directors of shell entities.
Who Has Been Charged
The 15 accused named in the charge sheet include six bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, and three public servants posted at the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited, the Development and Panchayat Department, and the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad. The charge sheet additionally names two shell entities along with their three partners or directors, and one private individual. All 15 accused are currently under judicial custody, according to the CBI.
Charges Invoked
The CBI statement said the charge sheet invokes penal provisions covering criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, destruction of evidence, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The agency said the charge sheet was filed after investigation into the role of these individuals in the financial scam had been completed for the listed offences.
How the Scam Came to Light
The fraud first surfaced in February 2025 when an official in the Haryana government's Development and Panchayats Department attempted to close a departmental account and transfer its balance to another bank. 'It was during this small banking transaction that a scam of this scale surfaced, showing massive discrepancies between the records and the actual balance,' the CBI said. The alleged modus operandi involved bank officials siphoning funds from accounts of various Haryana government departments in criminal connivance with public servants posted at those departments.
Investigation and Parallel Probes
The case was originally registered by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, which lodged an FIR, before the state government transferred it to the CBI for investigation. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) subsequently launched a parallel probe into the matter. IDFC First Bank has separately stated that it has repaid ₹557 crore to the concerned Haryana government departments — an amount exceeding the alleged misappropriation figure.
What Happens Next
With the charge sheet now filed, the case moves toward trial proceedings in the Special CBI Court in Panchkula. The parallel ED investigation into money laundering angles is ongoing. The scale of the alleged fraud — spanning multiple state departments and involving both bank insiders and government employees — is likely to intensify scrutiny of internal controls across public-sector bank accounts held by state governments.
Point of View
While notable, does not resolve the question of how such discrepancies went undetected for so long. The CBI charge sheet is a beginning, not an end; the Enforcement Directorate's parallel probe into money trails will be the real test of whether the full beneficiary network has been mapped.
NationPress
12 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the IDFC First Bank-Haryana government scam?
It is an alleged misappropriation of ₹504 crore from bank accounts of various Haryana government departments, reportedly carried out by bank officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank in connivance with public servants. The fraud came to light in February 2025 during a routine account closure attempt.
Who has been charged by the CBI in this case?
The CBI has charged 15 accused, including six bank officials from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three public servants from Haryana government departments, two shell entities with their three partners or directors, and one private individual. All 15 are currently under judicial custody.
What charges have been filed against the accused?
The charge sheet invokes criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, destruction of evidence, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Has IDFC First Bank repaid the money?
IDFC First Bank has stated that it repaid ₹557 crore to the concerned Haryana government departments — an amount that exceeds the alleged misappropriated sum of ₹504 crore. The criminal proceedings against the accused are separate from this repayment.
Which agencies are investigating the case?
The case was initially registered by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau before being transferred to the CBI. The Enforcement Directorate has also launched a parallel probe into the money laundering aspects of the case.
