Overview
- The Haryana government granted the CBI permission under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to question several IAS officers in the alleged IDFC First Bank–AU Small Finance Bank fraud tied to Haryana government deposits.
- CBI teams, following Thursday's multi-location searches in Chandigarh and Panchkula, reported seizing financial and digital records and said 16 accused have been arrested in the case.
- The agency issued a notice to the Chandigarh municipal commissioner for service files, specimen signatures, and bank correspondence in a linked ₹116 crore forged fixed deposit receipt matter tied to Chandigarh Smart City funds.
- Investigators say forged fixed deposit receipts masked diversions of public money through shell firms and to jewellers, with a former IDFC First Bank manager, Ribhav Rishi, identified as a key figure alongside relationship manager Abhay Kumar.
- The scale of losses remains under reconciliation, with IDFC First Bank stating it has returned about ₹578 crore, while the Enforcement Directorate’s parallel money-laundering case pegs the fraud at ₹645.59 crore.