The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made significant disclosures before a court in its investigation into the alleged ₹657 crore Haryana bank scam. The agency informed the court that SMS alerts for 47 alleged fraudulent debit transactions amounting to ₹187.26 crore were sent to the mobile phone of a co-accused instead of authorised government officials. A Panchkula court has remanded former IDFC First Bank Area Head Shamim Dar and former AU Small Finance Bank Branch Manager Charanjeet Singh Randhawa to three days of CBI custody.
According to the CBI, multiple government department accounts were opened at IDFC First Bank’s Sector-32 branch in Chandigarh. Investigators allege that Shamim Dar played a key role in facilitating the opening of these accounts. The agency stated that he certified in the Account Opening Forms (AOFs) that he had personally met the customers, verified the original KYC documents and witnessed the account holders signing the forms. According to the investigation, these certifications were later allegedly used to operate the accounts through forged banking instruments.
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The investigation has further revealed that mobile numbers registered with several government accounts allegedly did not belong to authorised government officials but were instead controlled by individuals linked to the accused. According to the CBI, the registered mobile number in one Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) account belonged to co-accused Abhishek Singla. The agency alleges that SMS alerts for all 47 fraudulent debit transactions worth ₹187.26 crore were delivered to that number.
The CBI also informed the court that the same mobile number was registered with another HSPCB account. In addition, a debit transaction of ₹2.49 crore from the Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad (HSSPP) account was allegedly presented as a “vendor payment” to obtain higher-level approval. The agency further alleged that a cancelled cheque was used to facilitate a ₹10 crore withdrawal from the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) account and claimed that Shamim Dar played a role in enabling the transaction.
According to investigators, 14 alleged fraudulent transactions were made from the Panchayat Department’s account to M/s Swastik Desh Projects, which the CBI describes as a shell company allegedly created by the accused. Of these, 10 transactions amounting to ₹47.51 crore allegedly involved former AU Small Finance Bank Branch Manager Charanjeet Singh Randhawa. The agency claims he authorised several high-value transactions and conducted mandatory call-back verification using a mobile number that did not belong to any authorised departmental signatory.
The CBI has also alleged that on December 29, 2025, a fraudulent debit transaction of ₹25 crore was carried out from the HPGCL Employees’ Pension Fund Trust account, with the funds transferred to the same alleged shell company. Investigators are examining call detail records, banking documents, account-opening records and other digital evidence to trace the complete money trail and determine the role of every individual allegedly involved in the scam.
The investigation is now focused on the KYC verification process, alleged unauthorised changes to registered mobile numbers in government accounts, the authenticity of banking documents and the internal control mechanisms followed for high-value transactions. The agency is examining these aspects to determine how the alleged fraudulent withdrawals were carried out and to establish the role of each accused in the case.
