HPGCL Officer Death: Fear of Arrest in Rs 590 Crore Bank Scam Linked to Suicide, CBI Probe Underway
The Rs.590 crore fraud in IDFC Bank, is proving fatal. Several employees have been dismissed from Job, some have been suspended and now an employee has committed suicide.
An accounts officer of Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) has committed suicide in ₹590 crore scam involving IDFC First Bank in Haryana.
According to sources, the employee identified as Balwant Singh was afraid of being arrested. Recently, the department’s Chief Finance Officer, Amit Diwan, was dismissed from service and this caused fear in the minds of Balwant Singh.
Reports say that after learning about Amit Diwan’s dismissal on Monday, Balwant Singh went to the Haryana Secretariat in Chandigarh. He got a visitor’s pass and moved from the fifth floor to the eighth floor using a ramp. There, he kept his mobile phone aside and jumped.
The scam case is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It is also reported that the CBI had called Balwant Singh for questioning at 11:00 AM on Monday. He asked for more time and said he would come at 3:00 PM. During this time, he died by suicide.
At present, the Sector-3 police are investigating the matter. Officials have not given any statement yet. The body has been kept at the mortuary of the Sector-16 hospital. A post-mortem will be conducted.
Balwant Singh, aged 45, was from Mundakhera village in Jhajjar district. He joined the power corporation in 2007. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and one son. He also has two brothers—Krishna, who is in the Army, and Ashok, who works with Haryana Roadways.
His family lives in Ekta Vihar, Baltana, near Panchkula. He was posted at the HPGCL office in Sector-6, Panchkula.
On Monday, he came to the Haryana Secretariat in Sector-1, Chandigarh. His visitor’s pass was made at 9:42 AM. He said he had come to meet the Controller of Accounts on the fifth floor for official work. He entered the building at 10:22 AM.
He spent time moving between the fifth and eighth floors until 2:50 PM. At around 3:00 PM, he jumped from the eighth floor. Police and staff present at the Secretariat rushed to the spot. Doctors declared him dead.
Police have seized his mobile phone. They are checking his last calls, messages, and other data. This may reveal important details.
Both Amit Diwan and Balwant Singh were posted at the HPGCL office in Sector-6, Panchkula. Amit Diwan is currently in Ambala Central Jail. He was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on March 18.
Amit Diwan is accused of opening two bank accounts at an IDFC First Bank branch in Sector-32, Chandigarh, with malicious intent. He is also accused of being involved in the scam with the main accused, Ribhav Rishi. His dismissal has created concern among officials.
Out of the two accounts, ₹50 crore was transferred into one account. Later, fake Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDRs) and unauthorized transactions were found. The bank was not on the government’s approved list at that time, yet the account was opened in violation of rules.
More details will be released soon.
