CHANDIGARH: An accounts officer with the Haryana government allegedly died by suicide after being called for questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the probe into a Rs 593 crore bank fraud case linked to Haryana government funds, police said on Monday.
Incident Details
Balwant Singh, who was posted with the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL), is suspected to have jumped from the eighth floor of the Haryana Secretariat in Sector-1 on Monday afternoon, according to police. The incident occurred within hours of the Haryana government dismissing HPGCL’s chief financial officer, Amit Dewan, for alleged involvement in the fraud. Singh was scheduled to appear before the CBI later in the day, police confirmed.
Singh worked in the Sector 6 office in Panchkula and visited the secretariat in the morning. He obtained a visitor pass around 10:30 am to meet officials in the Controller of Accounts office. His movements over the next few hours are being tracked, but around 3:30 pm, he was found dead. The body was shifted to the Government Multi Specialty Hospital in Sector-16 for a postmortem examination.
Investigation Underway
The police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances leading to the suicide. The CBI has been probing the Rs 593 crore bank fraud case involving Haryana government funds, and Singh’s questioning was part of that investigation. The dismissal of HPGCL’s CFO earlier in the day has also raised questions about the extent of the fraud and possible involvement of other officials.
Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage and visitor logs to piece together Singh’s activities before the incident. The postmortem report is awaited to confirm the cause of death. Meanwhile, the Haryana government has expressed condolences to the family and assured a thorough inquiry.
