Hans News Service Bhopal/Katni

MadhyaPradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday ordered immediate suspension of Katni’ City Superintendent of Police (SP) Neha Pachisia after a case was registered against her for allegedly indulging in coercion and fraud for purchasing land in the district. CM Yadav directed the state Chief Secretary to issue immediate suspension orders.

The CM made it clear that negligence, pressure or abuse of power at any level will not be tolerated in matters related to law and order. A fair investigation and strict action against the culprits will be ensured, an official said.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently dismissedCSP Pachisia’s petition and denied her interim relief, after which the police department also took a strict legal stance against her, the official said. Katni’s Superintendent of Police Abhinav Vishwakarma said, “Based on a complaint from the Bhopal Vigilance Branch and the instructions of the Jabalpur Zone, a case was registered against the CSP and other accused at the Kuthla police station in Katni on charges fraud, coercion, and criminal conspiracy.”

The entire matter relates to a transaction involving land owned by one Ramesh Lodhi that falls under the Kuthla police station limits. A departmental investigation found that the actual value of this land, according to government guidelines, was Rs 82,86,930. But by allegedly abusing the police machinery and her position, the CSP coerced the Lodhi family to sell the land at only Rs 18,20,000 in the name of Maruf Ahmed Hanafi. The documents showed a payment of Rs 15 lakh by cheque and Rs 3.20 lakh in cash, the official said.

An in-depth investigation conducted by Jabalpur’s Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anu Beniwal found that Hanafi, in whose name the land was bought, did not have funds in hisbank for the purchase.