MP: Head constable gambles away seized Rs 55 lakh cash, jewellery from police Malkhana

Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Oct 14 In a stunning breach of never-before trust that has rocked the local law enforcement community, a senior head constable at Kotwali police station in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district allegedly squandered Rs 55 lakh in seized cash and gold and silver jewellery valued at around Rs 10 lakh through compulsive gambling.

The accused, Head Constable Rajiv Pandre, who was entrusted with safeguarding the Malkhana (storeroom), has been booked under an FIR following the dramatic revelation, which nearly ended in tragedy when he attempted to take his own life upon discovery, though his life was saved.

An investigation is going on as police have recovered Rs 40 lakh from him, and an FIR has been registered against the accused, a senior police officer in Kotwali police station told the media.

The incident came to light on Monday when the original complainant—a woman who had been defrauded in a financial scam—returned to the police station armed with a court order to reclaim her seized assets.

Several months prior, in a major fraud bust, Kotwali police had confiscated the cash and jewellery from the perpetrators and locked them away in the storeroom for evidentiary purposes. As per standard protocol, these items were to remain secure in ‘Malkhana’ until judicial proceedings concluded.

According to police, when Town Inspector (TI) Vijay Uikey directed Pandre to retrieve the valuables, the 42-year-old officer's composure shattered. In a panic-stricken moment captured on station CCTV footage, Pandre bolted to the Malkhana from inside, barricaded himself by locking the heavy iron gate, and fastened a noose from his uniform belt, attempting to hang himself from the ceiling fan.

Alerted by his frantic cries and the commotion, fellow officers on duty rushed to the scene. They forced open the door with a battering ram just in time, pulling Pandre down and administering first aid before rushing him to Balaghat District Hospital. He is currently under observation, reported to be stable.

More interestingly, counsellors from the Madhya Pradesh Police Welfare Bureau were dispatched to support him.

Preliminary investigations, led by the Superintendent of Police, have uncovered a pattern of addiction that led to the criminal act.

Sources within the police said that Pandre, a 15-year veteran originally from Seoni district, had developed a severe gambling habit over the past two years.

He frequently slipped away during off-duty hours to high-stakes dens in neighbouring Gondia, Maharashtra—known for its underground matka and card games—and Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, where cross-border gambling rings thrive despite periodic crackdowns. He'd borrow from colleagues, sell personal items, and even pawn family jewellery to fund his losses, confided anonymous police sources who worked alongside him for some time.

The Malkhana was his last resort; he started siphoning small amounts months ago, convincing himself he'd win it back, if the sources are to be believed.

Forensic audits of the Malkhana logs, cross-verified with transaction records from local jewellers and gambling informants, confirm that the pilfering began subtly in June 2025, escalating as Pandre's debts mounted. The total loss — Rs 5.5 lakh in crisp Rs 500 notes bundled in evidence bags, plus ornate gold chains, silver bangles, and rings appraised at Rs 10 lakh—represents one of the largest internal embezzlements in Madhya Pradesh Police history.

No external involvement has been detected so far, but a special inquiry team from Bhopal headquarters has been dispatched to probe potential accomplices, including gambling operators who may have lured Pandre deeper into the vice. The scam victim has expressed profound shock outside the station.

"I trusted the police to protect what little I had left after those fraudsters ruined me. Now, even the guardians are thieves," she told reporters.

Balaghat, already strained by its status as a Left-Wing Extremism hotspot with ongoing Naxal operations in forested fringes, now grapples with this internal scandal.

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