2 Haryana officials, jeweller sent to four

A Panchkula court on Sunday sent two government officials and a Chandigarh-based jeweller, arrested on Saturday in connection with theRs 590-crore IDFC First Bank fraudcase, to four-day State Vigilance and Anti‑Corruption Bureau remand.

A total of 14 arrests have been made in the case since the case came to the fore last month.

The Vigilance bureau had arrested Rajesh Sangwan, controller of finance and accounts at the Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board; Randhir Singh, controller of finance and accounts at the School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad; andChandigarh‑based jeweller Rajan Katodia on Saturday.

Investigators pleaded the court for the custody of the accused to “unearth the complete modus operandi, co‑accused involved in the commission of offence, ascertain specific role played by each accused and identify the devices and means used in the commission of offence.”
In the court, the vigilance bureau informed the court that the government officials “deliberately violated the instructions issued by the Finance Department (Government of Haryana) from time to time and hatched a criminal conspiracy with co‑accused to siphon off government funds; actively participated in commission of offence and accepted substantial amounts as part of illegal gratification”.

The investigators had found that more than Rs 250 crore were routed to Katodia’s firm from the companies linked to the main accused in the fraud case.

The vigilance bureau alleged that “two former staffers of the IDFC Bank and key accused Ribhav Rishi, Abhay Kumar and others hatched a conspiracy with Katodia to divert the government funds in shell firms … and thereafter he received more than Rs 250 crore”.

Sukhbir Siwach's extensive and in-depth coverage of farmer agitation against three farm laws during 2020-21 drew widespread attention....

Read More
Stay updated with the latest -Click here to follow us on Instagram