Three arrested in ₹68-crore HSVP fund embezzlement case

The case dates back to 2015, when a bank account was allegedly opened at Punjab National Bank, Manimajra, Chandigarh, without authorisation from senior officials of the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Panchkula, has arrested three individuals—Vijay Kumar, Manoj Kumar Singla, and Sunil Garg (a private individual residing in Suncity Parikrama, Sector 20, Panchkula)—in connection with a ₹68-crore embezzlement case involving government funds.

The arrests were made following substantial evidence collected during the ongoing investigation. (HT File)

The arrests were made following substantial evidence collected during the ongoing investigation. The case dates back to 2015, when a bank account was allegedly opened at Punjab National Bank, Manimajra, Chandigarh, without authorisation from senior officials of the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

According to ACB officials, Sunil Bansal, who was the senior accounts officer at HSVP, Panchkula at the time, illegally transferred around ₹68 crore in government funds to this unauthorised bank account between 2015 and 2019. This amount included ₹22 crore from the Land Acquisition Office (LAO) in Gurugram and ₹46 crore from the HUDA account in Panchkula.

The funds were then diverted to various private bank accounts. ACB officials revealed that ₹7 crore was transferred to Manoj Kumar Singla’s account, ₹5.88 crore to Sunil Garg’s, and ₹5 crore to Vijay Kumar’s—totaling ₹17.88 crore. Additionally, around ₹4 crore was found in accounts of two companies linked to the trio, maintained at HDFC Bank’s Zirakpur branch.

The unauthorised PNB account was closed on February 27, 2019, just a day before Sunil Bansal retired. An FIR was registered on March 7, 2023, at Sector 7 Police Station under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine), and 120B (criminal conspiracy). The case was handed over to the ACB in November 2023.

The role of the then PNB branch manager and other bank officials at Manimajra is also under investigation.