The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case in the Rs 590-crore IDFC First and AU Small Finance Bank scam.
Sources said the case was registered against “unknown” persons under the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with charges of cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, fraudulent use of forged documents, and criminal breach of trust under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case was filed on April 8 based on an FIR originally registered by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) on February 23.
The regular case, registered by the Economic Offences Wing-III of the CBI in New Delhi, states, “The case involves serious allegations of misappropriation of government funds and a large-scale, organized and multi-layered fraud about fraudulent banking operations and fictitious transactions carried out in a systematic manner to siphon off government funds into the accounts of shell entities, including Swastik Desh Project, SRR Planning Gurus Private Limited, Cap Co Fintech Services, RS Traders and other associated firms and individuals, resulting in a substantial loss to the public exchequer, estimated to exceed Rs 550 crore.”
On April 8, the Ministry of Personnel and Training granted approval to the CBI to investigate the case under Section 5 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, formalising its jurisdiction. Earlier, on March 25, the Haryana government had written to the Centre giving consent for a CBI probe under Section 6 of the DSPE Act, 1946, thereby extending the agency’s powers across the state.
It is learnt that a team of CBI officers met officials of the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to understand the case details and collect relevant documents.
Sources added that around 12 bank accounts across eight state government departments were affected - 10 at IDFC First Bank and two at AU Small Finance Bank. So far, 15 persons, including bank officials and four government officials, have been arrested by the SV&ACB.
More than 25 electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptops, have been seized and sent to a cyber forensic laboratory for examination. Additionally, six luxury vehicles, three Toyota Fortuners, two Innovas, and one Mercedes, have been seized, suspected to have been purchased using illicit proceeds.
Investigators have also identified 10 properties believed to have been acquired using the “ill-gotten” money.