Rs 83-crore CREST scam: CBI obtains prosecution sanction against project director, accountant
CBI has already filed a chargesheet in the case against Abrol, Kukkar, and bank officials Ribhav Rishi, Abhay Kumar, Seema Dhiman, Priyanka Bhatoa, Anuj Kaushal, Swati Singla, and Ankur Sharma
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has received prosecution sanction against project director Sukhwinder Singh Abrol, and accountant Sahil Kukkar, in connection with a scam involving over Rs 83 crore of Chandigarh Renewable Energy & Science & Technology Promotion Society (CREST) deposited in IDFC First Bank.
Public prosecutor Narender Singh placed this information before the CBI court today.
CBI has already filed a chargesheet in the case against Abrol, Kukkar, and bank officials Ribhav Rishi, Abhay Kumar, Seema Dhiman, Priyanka Bhatoa, Anuj Kaushal, Swati Singla, and Ankur Sharma.
The FIR was initially registered by the Chandigarh Police on March 12, 2026, pertaining to large-scale fraud involving fraudulent banking operations and fictitious transactions to divert CREST government funds into shell entities in connivance with bank officials and public servants. The case was later transferred to CBI.
In the chargesheet, CBI stated that evidence collected during the investigation — including banking records, witness statements, and seized documents — establishes that the accused acted in concert under a common criminal conspiracy to dishonestly divert, conceal, and misappropriate public funds belonging to CREST for unlawful personal gain.
Investigation further revealed that Ribhav Rishi, Abhay Kumar, and Seema Dhiman prepared, processed, and used forged debit notes, fabricated banking instructions, and other false instruments to execute fraudulent debit transactions from CREST’s accounts. These fraudulent transactions were processed through the bank’s internal system by misusing the maker-checker mechanism.
