Cash seized from charas mafia goes missing from police storeroom in Mandi, incident comes to light during court hearing

MANDI: Cash worth over Rs 2 lakh, recovered from a charas smuggler, has mysteriously disappeared from the Hatli police station malkhana in Sarkaghat in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.

The missing amount came to light during a routine court hearing when the sealed evidence package was opened before the judge — only Rs 25,700 remained, while a substantial sum of Rs 1,82,900 was unaccounted for.

The cash, seized along with a consignment of charas under the NDPS Act, was stored as case property. The discrepancy surfaced when police presented the recovered items in court, triggering immediate concern over the missing funds.

Responding swiftly, Mandi SP Sakshi Verma ordered the registration of an FIR under Section 316 and constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident.

The investigation has been entrusted to Dharampur DSP Sanjeev Sood, who is leading efforts to trace the missing cash and identify those responsible.

Adding to the mystery, a munshi (clerk) from the Hatli police station has been reported missing for the past five days, raising suspicions of possible internal involvement. Authorities are actively pursuing this lead as part of the ongoing investigation.

“This is a serious breach of protocol that undermines public trust in the police force. We are determined to bring the facts to light and hold those responsible accountable,” stated SP Sakshi Verma.

The court has directed the police to present the entire seized amount and conduct a comprehensive investigation. The incident has sparked concerns about the security of police malkhanas, where crucial evidence and seized property are stored.

While similar incidents of missing contraband and cash have been reported in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, this rare occurrence in Himachal Pradesh has raised alarm bells, highlighting the need for tighter controls within the system.

Munish Sood(Mandi)