Seoni Hawala scandal- 10 police officers arrested, including SDOP:11 cops face robbery charges; constable claims, ‘I was simply performing my duty’

The Rs 3 crore hawala case has resulted in the arrest of 10 out of 11 implicated police officers in Seoni district.
They face serious charges, including robbery, abduction, and criminal conspiracy. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating the case. Chhindwara Range DIG Rakesh Kumar Singh confirmed that the arrested personnel include suspended SDOP Pooja Pandey, SI Arpit Bhairam, Head Constable Makhan Invati, Constables Yogendra Chaurasia, Neeraj Rajput, Jagdish Yadav, Gunman Kedar Baghel, SDOP office driver Ritesh Verma, Reader Head Constable Ravindra Uikey, and Subhash Sadafal. The search continues for Head Constable Rajesh Janghela. Initial investigation and crime details Following instructions from Jabalpur Range IG Pramod Kumar Verma, ASP Ayush Gupta prepared an initial report on the suspicious behavior of suspended officers. Statements from all involved officers have been recorded. Meanwhile, the Jabalpur Crime Branch team is probing the recovery of the hawala money, investigating whose money it was and its origin. SIT members include Crime Branch ASP Jitendra Singh, three other staff, and Lakhnawada police station in-charge Chandrikishore Sirame. Some lawyers from Jabalpur High Court have also become involved, claiming the FIR against the police officers was filed hastily. The purpose of transferring the Rs 3 crore to Nagpur remains unclear. Police officers’ defence Some constables claimed they were only performing duty under orders from senior officers. One constable, speaking anonymously, explained: We were called at night to check a suspicious vehicle. SDOP instructed us to stand with police officers at a designated spot. We didn’t know what would happen next. SDOP Pooja Pandey allegedly played a key role in seizing part of the money and delaying official action. Conversations between ASP, SDOP, and Hawala operator Recorded exchanges revealed coordination between ASP, SDOP, and the hawala operator, discussing the seized amount and police procedure: Suspensions and FIRs All 11 implicated officers were suspended immediately after the incident. The FIR, filed under BNS Sections 310(2) (robbery), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 140(3) (abduction), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), names the officers including SDOP Pooja Pandey, SI Arpit Bhairam, Makhan Invati, Yogendra Chaurasia, Jagdish Yadav, and Neeraj Rajput. The case originated when Seoni police seized Rs 3 crore from Nagpur resident Sohan Parmar, but only Rs 1.45 crore was officially reported. The accused were left without further action, causing an uproar in the police department. Suspensions timeline The SIT continues to investigate, and further actions against officers involved in the hawala racket are expected. ​