Two arrested in Seoni hawala case, ₹1.25 crore seized:Both accused brought to Jabalpur; 11 cops, including SDOP suspended so far

In the Seoni hawala case, Madhya Pradesh Police arrested two accused from Nagpur on Monday. The Crime Branch seized Rs 1 crore from Akash Jain and Rs 25 lakh from Aman Gurnani. Both accused have been brought to Jabalpur by the Crime Branch team. With this action, the total cash recovered so far in the case stands at ₹2.70 crore, while police continue the investigation to trace the remaining amount from the total ₹2.96 crore 50 thousand allegedly involved. Police personnel under scrutiny The case has seen serious implications for police personnel following revelations of their involvement. So far, 11 policemen, including an SDOP and a TI, have been suspended. Questioning is ongoing with the previously arrested Jalna-based utensil trader Sohanlal Parmar and his two employees, Sheikh Mukhtar and Imran Pathan. IG Pramod Verma holds meeting in Seoni IG Pramod Verma arrived in Seoni on Monday to review the investigation. He held a meeting with officers, including SP Sunil Kumar Mehta and Additional SP Deepak Mishra, in the police control room. Show cause notices have been issued to both SP and ASP following concerns over lapses in the initial investigation. Chhindwara DIG Rakesh Kumar Singh also attended the meeting. Discrepancies in previous seizures Earlier, Seoni police had seized approximately ₹3 crore from Nagpur resident Sohan Parmar. However, only ₹1.45 crore was reportedly included in the official seizure report, and the accused was released without action, reportedly without informing senior officers. This irregularity caused a stir within the police department. On October 9, CSP Pooja Pandey and SI Arpit Bhairam deposited ₹1.45 crore, and IG Pramod Verma subsequently suspended nine policemen, including SI Bhairam. On October 10, DGP Kailash Makwana suspended SDOP Pooja Pandey. Investigation now shifted to Jabalpur IG Verma stated that deficiencies were found in the initial investigation, particularly regarding police personnel’s conduct. As a result, the investigation of the case against the hawala trader has been transferred from Seoni district to Jabalpur district, with ASP Jitendra Singh now overseeing the probe. The investigation is ongoing to recover the remaining cash and ensure accountability for all involved.