Jabalpur/Katni (MP), Aug 22 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Police on Saturday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations against suspended Katni City Superintendent of Police Neha Pachisia regarding an alleged land deal involving a murder accused.
A First Information Report was registered at Kuthla police station in Katni against the 37-year-old police officer and her two accomplices including Kshitij Raj Barapatre on August 19.
The SIT will assist Jabalpur City Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anjana Tiwari, the investigating officer of the case, Jabalpur Zone Inspector General of Police Pramod Verma told PTI.
According to Katni Superintendent of Police Abhinay Vishwakarma, the case stemmed from allegations that Pachisia delayed the arrest of murder accused Ramesh Lodhi, and later failed to ensure that a charge sheet was filed against him within the stipulated 90-day period.
“When it came to our notice that the accused was not being arrested, we got him arrested,” Vishwakarma said.
Lodhi, however, secured default bail in the first week of July as the charge sheet had not been filed.
“I had the investigation examined… I directed my additional superintendent of police Kamal Mourya to conduct an initial probe who found the matter fishy,” Vishwakarma added.
Jabalpur ASP Anu Beniwal subsequently conducted an inquiry, which found that land belonging to Lodhi and his family was sold for Rs 18 lakh to one Maroof Ahmed Hanafi, although its value according to government guidelines was Rs 82 lakh and the market value was estimated to be around Rs 2 crore.
“Why would a person sell land at such a low rate? This means he was under pressure. And the pressure was that you won’t be sent to jail,” said SP Vishwakarma.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday ordered Pachisia’s immediate suspension.
Rajnath Nagar police station house officer Arun Pal Singh, sub-inspector Saurabh Soni, CSP’s reader Narendra Pandey, gunman Matu and driver Keshav were also suspended. They have not been accused of involvement in the alleged crime but were suspended for allegedly carrying out orders which they should not have followed under service rules, Vishwakarma said.
Pachisia is also facing a separate departmental inquiry with regard to an allegation that she extorted money from a transporter after stopping his dumper trucks.
The woman officer, who hails from Pachore tehsil in Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district, had earlier worked as an air hostess and also worked with some multinational companies before clearing the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission’s 2012 examination.
Before joining the police department, she served for some time in the Women and Child Development Department.
Her work as the City Superintendent of Police in Guna, where she launched a women’s mobile police station, earned her the sobriquet “Lady Singham”. PTI LAL KRK
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