Seoni, Madhya Pradesh: In a shocking development, Madhya Pradesh police have taken strict action against their own personnel in connection with the ₹2.96 crore hawala loot case. Following a stern directive from the Chief Minister, an FIR has been registered on Monday against DSP Pooja Pandey and 11 police officials under sections relating to robbery, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy, and other relevant charges. All accused were stationed in Seoni district.
Key Accused Police Personnel
- DSP Pooja Pandey
- SI Arpit Bhairam
- Constables Yogendra Chaurasia, Neeraj Rajput, Jagdish Yadav
- Head Constable Makhan Inawati
- Gajendra Subhash Sadafal, Kedar Baghel
- Absconding: Head Constable Rajesh Janghela, Constables Ravindra Uike, Ritesh
Incident Details
On the night of October 8, during a checking operation on NH-44, the accused allegedly seized ₹2.96 crore 50 thousand from a vehicle traveling from Nagpur to Jabalpur. Instead of depositing the amount into the government treasury, DSP Pooja Pandey and the team allegedly planned to divide the loot among themselves and let the vehicle driver go without taking action.
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The case came to light after a complaint by the hawala operator to senior authorities. Following the complaint, all accused officers were suspended immediately. An SIT (Special Investigation Team) has been constituted to probe the matter under the supervision of IG Pramod Kumar Verma. DIG Rakesh Kumar Singh stated that the accused will be produced in court on Wednesday.
Prior Police Action
Madhya Pradesh police had earlier arrested three suspects from Jalna, Maharashtra Sohan Parmar, Sheikh Mukhtar, and Irfan Pathan—who revealed that the police personnel were involved in looting the seized funds.
Significance
This incident raises serious questions about the integrity of law enforcement in the state. Authorities have emphasized that corruption at any level will not be tolerated, sending a strong message to both officers and the public.
