A late-night vehicle inspection in Seoni district has erupted into a major corruption scandal after police officers allegedly misappropriated Rs 1.45 crore in hawala money during an operation led by Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDOP) Pooja Pandey.
According to sources, on the night of October 8, a team headed by SDOP Pooja Pandey and Town Sub-Inspector Arpit Bhairam stopped a car near the Siladehi forest area during routine checking. The vehicle, reportedly driven by hawala courier Sohan Parmar, was found carrying Rs 2.96 crore in unaccounted cash believed to be part of a hawala transaction.
Instead of seizing the full amount, the officers allegedly struck a “50-50 deal” with the courier — agreeing to share the cash. Later, only Rs 1.45 crore was officially recorded as seized. When the courier returned to the Bandol Police Station the next day, he discovered that nearly Rs 25.6 lakh of the amount had gone missing.
After reports of the irregularity surfaced, Inspector General (IG) Pramod Verma of Jabalpur Range personally visited Seoni and ordered an internal investigation. The probe revealed that part of the seized cash had been diverted by the officers themselves.
Following the inquiry, 11 police personnel — including SDOP Pooja Pandey, SI Arpit Bhairam, and constables Yogendra Chaurasia, Neeraj Rajput, and Jagdish Yadav — were suspended and later taken into custody. The others, including constables Makhan, Ravindra Uike, Kedar, Ritesh, and Sadafal, are under investigation.
A case has been filed against all 11 accused under sections of the Indian Penal Code for robbery, criminal conspiracy, wrongful restraint, and embezzlement. The probe, led by ASP Ayush Gupta, is also tracing the remaining unaccounted cash and other individuals possibly linked to the hawala network.
Senior officials described the incident as a serious breach of integrity within the police force. Jabalpur Range IG Pramod Verma said strict disciplinary and legal action would be taken against those found guilty.
The scandal — now being referred to as the Seoni Hawala Loot Case — has sparked public outrage and prompted the Madhya Pradesh Police Headquarters to order a statewide review of cash-handling protocols during inspections
