Who Is Pankaj Agarwal? Haryana IAS Officer Arrested In Rs 657-Crore IDFC First Bank Scam

Last Updated:June 24, 2026, 15:05 IST

The CBI arrested Agarwal on June 23 in connection with the alleged misuse of government funds parked in accounts maintained in the IDFC First Bank.

Senior Haryana IAS officer Pankaj Agarwal, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged IDFC First Bank fund misappropriation case, is likely to face suspension as the probe into the multi-crore scam gathers pace.

A 2000-batch IAS officer, Agarwal has held several key positions in Haryana over the last two decades and served under both Congress and BJP governments. However, his career has recently come under scrutiny, first over the Rajya Sabha elections and now over his alleged role in one of the state’s biggest financial fraud investigations.

Who is Pankaj Agarwal?

Pankaj Agarwal, 51, hails from Dhanbad in Jharkhand. He began his administrative career in 2000 as Assistant Commissioner at the Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) in Gurugram.

Over the years, he held several important posts, including Deputy Commissioner of Kurukshetra from 2007 to 2011 and Deputy Commissioner of Sonipat from 2011 to 2013 during the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government. Under the BJP government, he also served as Labour Commissioner, Transport Commissioner and Director General, Food and Civil Supplies.

Ahead of the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, Agarwal was appointed Chief Electoral Officer of the state. He later handled major departments such as School Education, Agriculture, Mines and Irrigation before being shifted to the Architecture Department in April this year.

Known as a low-profile officer in bureaucratic circles, Agarwal found himself at the centre of a political controversy after the March 2025 Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana. Congress leaders, led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, questioned his conduct as Returning Officer and sought action against him. Agarwal, however, maintained that all decisions were taken strictly as per Election Commission guidelines.

Why was he arrested?

The CBI arrested Agarwal on June 23 in connection with the alleged misuse of government funds parked in accounts maintained at the IDFC First Bank branch in Chandigarh’s Sector 32.

According to investigators, the accounts belonged to the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad (HSSPP) and the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB). The agency alleges that the accounts were opened in violation of Finance Department norms and that government funds beyond prescribed limits were deposited into them.

The CBI claims that fraudulent transactions through these accounts resulted in a loss of over ₹60 crore to the government. The case is part of a larger probe into the alleged diversion of around ₹504 crore belonging to eight Haryana government departments to shell companies and fake entities through the same bank branch.

The Haryana government had earlier granted the CBI permission to investigate the role of several senior IAS officers, including Agarwal, under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

About the Author

Shobhit Gupta

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre...Read More

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