A senior Madhya Pradesh police officer has gone untraceable after being booked in connection with an alleged coercive land deal in Katni district and has sought anticipatory bail from a local court.
Neha Pachisia, Katni’s City Superintendent of Police, was booked along with Kshitij Raj Barapatre and Maroof Ahmed Hanfi over the alleged forced sale of 2.15 hectares of land belonging to the family of Akash Lodhi, who is accused in a murder case.
Pachisia, a former air hostess who later joined the police, was attending departmental training in Bhopal from August 18 to 20 when the FIR was registered. She allegedly left after learning about the case and has not been traced since. Barapatre and Hanfi are also reportedly missing.
Police have sealed Pachisia’s office and launched a search for the three accused. A Special Investigation Team may also be constituted. The Madhya Pradesh government has suspended Pachisia on the directions of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
LAND DEAL UNDER INVESTIGATION
The allegations emerged after Lodhi obtained default bail because police allegedly failed to file a chargesheet in his murder case within the required 90-day period.
After his release, Lodhi alleged that his family had been pressured into selling their land while he was in custody. His complaint reached the Chief Minister’s Helpline, following which senior officials reviewed the matter.
According to the complaint, Lodhi’s father, Ramesh Lodhi, was allegedly kept at a house for two days under pressure from Pachisia before being taken in a government vehicle to Kanhwara, where the land transaction was registered.
The property was allegedly sold for Rs 1.07 crore. The family claimed it received only a Rs 15 lakh cheque at registration and was promised the remaining Rs 92 lakh within seven days, but allegedly never received the balance.
Investigators found that the government guideline value of the land was around Rs 82.86 lakh, while registration documents reportedly showed that only Rs 18.20 lakh had been paid.
Authorities are also examining an alleged transfer of Rs 15 lakh from Barapatre’s bank account to Hanfi. The complaint described Barapatre as Pachisia’s alleged partner and close associate.
SEPARATE EXTORTION ALLEGATION
Pachisia was already facing another inquiry over an alleged extortion incident during a vehicle inspection.
Transport operator Mahendra Jain accused her of demanding Rs 30,000 after one of his trucks was stopped on July 21. He alleged that Rs 25,000 was collected in cash and the remaining Rs 5,000 was to be paid through the driver the following day.
Jain also alleged that he was threatened with seizure of the truck if he refused to pay.
Following his complaint and supporting evidence, Katni Superintendent of Police Abhinay Vishwakarma ordered a preliminary inquiry.
Pachisia’s driver, constable Keshav Singh, was suspended, while the investigation was handed to Additional Superintendent of Police Kamal Maurya. Three police stations that had previously fallen under Pachisia’s jurisdiction were also transferred to another officer.
The land-deal case and the earlier extortion allegation are now being investigated separately, with authorities searching for Pachisia and the two other accused in the latest FIR.
