Overview
- The CBI arrested IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal and produced him in court after taking him into custody for his alleged role in opening prohibited government accounts at IDFC First Bank, a move reported on Tuesday that led to his remand to Ambala jail.
- Investigators arrested HSPCB data operator Saurav Sharma and secured custodial remand after alleging he processed deposits that caused a ₹169.36 crore loss to the pollution board by enabling placements over the finance department’s ₹50 crore single‑bank ceiling.
- The agency says deleted chats and call logs were found on suspects’ phones and that Agarwal could influence witnesses, facts the CBI used to seek judicial custody and to justify further custodial interrogations.
- The probe is multi‑agency and evolving: the CBI has filed charge sheets against about 15–17 accused, the ED has separately arrested Naresh Kumar under the PMLA and both agencies are tracing funds routed to shell companies such as M/s Swastik Desh Project.
- Beyond arrests, the case highlights a procedural failure in how state deposits were placed at one Chandigarh branch and raises the prospect of more arrests, asset seizures and administrative action as investigators map money trails and recover proceeds.