Two police officers under scanner after ₹20 lakh recovered from Maoist dumps goes missing

The two DSP-rank officers associated with the Maoist cash recovery operations were transferred from Kanker in mid-June and subsequently posted in other districts

Two Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)-rank officers are under the scanner after around ₹20 lakh in cash recovered from two Maoist dumps during separate anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district earlier this year allegedly went unaccounted for, police said.

The first dump was recovered in March from the forests of Tondemarka, while the second was found in the first week of April in the Marmakonari area of Murargaon

An internal police inquiry and scrutiny of those associated with the operations were initiated, and the two DSP-rank officers associated with the cash recovery operations were transferred from Kanker in mid-June and subsequently posted in other districts.

The first dump was recovered in March from the forests of Tondemarka, while the second was found in the first week of April in the Marmakonari area of Murargaon. Around ₹15 lakh was recovered from one dump and ₹5 lakh from the other.

The cash recovery was required to be documented during seizure proceedings and deposited according to the prescribed procedure. However, discrepancies were subsequently noticed in the handling and recording of the money, leading to an inquiry.

Bastar range inspector general of police BL Meena said a preliminary inquiry was conducted by the Kanker superintendent of police (SP), which indicated the involvement of the two DSPs in concealing Maoist-related material and cash. “More investigation will follow and action will be taken soon,” Meena said.

Meena added that the names of the two DSPs would not be disclosed at this stage as the investigation is still in progress.

Speaking on the modus operandi, police officers said that the two DSPs would threaten surrendered Maoists to obtain information about Maoist dumps, following which the officer duo would call diggers from neighbouring Bijapur and Sukma districts and use their assistance to excavate cash and other material that Maoists had concealed in forest areas around five years ago.

The officers also said that after the two officers were transferred from Kanker in mid-June, some of the people who had allegedly assisted them in digging out the dumps spoke about the activity to others.

An inquiry initiated by Kanker SP Nikhil Rakheja subsequently found evidence that raised questions over the handling of the recovered material and the role of the two officers, who subsequently wrote to the police headquarters and informed senior officers about the findings and the alleged activities, a senior police officer in Raipur said.

The officers said all people who allegedly assisted the two DSPs were questioned as part of the inquiry. Investigators are also examining whether additional Maoist dumps were located and concealed from official records during the past year.

The inquiry is examining operational records, seizure documents and statements of police personnel and other people associated with the searches to establish how the recovered cash and other material were handled.

Officials said the allegations against the two DSPs are being investigated and further action will follow once the inquiry establishes the circumstances surrounding the unaccounted cash and alleged concealment of Maoist material.