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Bhopal/Seoni, October 10 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Kailash Makwana on Friday suspended Pooja Pandey, a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), in a case of alleged embezzlement of Hawala money sent to Maharashtra. The officers provided this information.
DGP Makwana’s order to suspend SDPO Pooja Pandey comes at a time when nine police personnel involved in the case were suspended a day earlier by Seoni Superintendent of Police (SP) Sunil Kumar Mehta on Thursday.
According to the police, during the checking operation on Wednesday night, Bandol police station in-charge and SDPO Pooja Pandey’s office staff stopped a four-wheeler in Siladehi forest.
However, instead of seizing the cash, they beat up the driver, chased him away and tried to grab the cash.
The alleged crime came to light when the driver and a businessman who sent the money contacted the police.
As serious allegations against police personnel reached higher authorities in Jabalpur and Bhopal, Jabalpur Inspector General of Police Pramod Verma on Thursday ordered a probe into the matter.
The investigation into the incident was handed over to Jabalpur Additional Superintendent of Police Ayush Gupta, who started the investigation early Thursday and submitted his report to Inspector General of Police Verma and DGP Makwana.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the police team did not even inform its senior officers about the hawala money.
Their secret was exposed when the businessman who lost the money reached the Kotwali police station on Thursday morning.
Based on Ayush Gupta’s findings, Seoni SP has issued suspension orders of police personnel, including sub-inspector Arpit Bhairam, who is in-charge of Bandol police station, head constables Makhan and Ravindra Uike, constables Jagdish Yadav, Yogendra Chaurasia, Ritesh (driver), Neeraj Rajput, Kedar and Sadaphal.
After Thursday’s action, questions were raised as to why SDPO Pooja Pandey, who was allegedly involved in embezzlement of money, was spared.
Following this, DGP Makwana ordered his suspension till Friday evening.
–IANS
PD/KHz