Chennai/New Delhi, October 15, 2026: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer serving as Deputy Director of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in Chennai, along with a Delhi-based advocate and the advocate’s relative, in a case involving an alleged demand of ₹1 crore as bribe linked to the investigation into financial irregularities at Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL).
The arrested public servant has been identified as Harish Kumar Tanwar, a 2017-batch IRS officer of the Income Tax cadre, posted as Deputy Director at the SFIO’s Chennai office. Tanwar was the Investigating Officer in the SFIO’s probe into aspects of the DHFL matter. The other accused are Delhi-based advocate Bharat Sharma and Aryan Sharma, a relative of the advocate.
According to the CBI, the case was registered following a written complaint submitted on October 12, 2026, by Gopal Shivram Dalvi. The complainant alleged that Tanwar, Bharat Sharma and others had demanded ₹1 crore to favour him in the SFIO investigation into the DHFL scam, and had threatened him with arrest and prosecution if the demand was not met.
The CBI verified the allegations in the presence of independent witnesses on October 12 and 13. During verification, Bharat Sharma is said to have directed the complainant to deliver ₹20 lakh as part payment of the total demanded amount on behalf of the SFIO officer.
The agency registered a First Information Report under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (criminal conspiracy) and Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. It subsequently laid a trap. The three accused were arrested after the advocate allegedly received ₹20 lakh from the complainant as the first instalment of the bribe, for and on behalf of Tanwar. Searches were conducted at the premises of the public servant and the advocate, during which incriminating material related to the case was recovered. The investigation remains in progress.
Sources have indicated that a senior IRS officer, also of the Income Tax cadre and posted at the SFIO, has come under the CBI’s scrutiny on account of his supervisory role in the matter and has been questioned. The process to examine his role is said to be underway.
The present case concerns the alleged attempt to influence an ongoing SFIO investigation rather than the underlying DHFL fraud itself. DHFL has been under scrutiny by multiple agencies, including the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, since 2019 in connection with alleged irregularities involving loans of around ₹34,000 crore. Former promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan have been accused of diverting bank funds through shell entities and other means. The SFIO, which functions under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has been examining the corporate fraud dimensions of the matter.
The CBI has stated that further investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the alleged conspiracy and the involvement of any other persons.
