MP woman cop caught on CCTV stealing cash, mobile from friend's house

A woman inspector posted at the Madhya Pradesh Police Headquarters was allegedly caught on CCTV camera stealing Rs 2 lakh and a mobile phone from her friend's house in the city, officials said on Thursday.

While the incident took place on September 24 and a case was registered against accused Kalpana Raghuvanshi (56) on October 2, it was kept under wraps until the CCTV video of the act went viral on Wednesday.

The accused has been absconding, officials said.

As per the complaint filed by Pramila Tiwari, a resident of Galla Mandi, at Jahangirabad police station, the theft took place when she was taking a bath and her daughter was studying in another room of the house.

Raghuvanshi allegedly entered the house during this period, took the mobile phone as well as Rs 2 lakh kept in a purse, and left in a hush-hush manner.

The CCTV footage showed Raghuvanshi entering and leaving. A wad of currency notes was seen in her hand as she left.

The complainant and accused were friends, and visited each other's house frequently. Shocked after watching the video, Tiwari confronted Raghuvanshi about the theft, as per her complaint.

The latter returned the mobile phone but not the money, forcing her friend to approach police. The cash was for her child's school fees, she told police.

"Tiwari came to us on October 2. We registered her complaint under section 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (theft in a dwelling place)," Jahangirabad Police Station House Officer (SHO) Chaturbhuj Rathore told PTI over phone.

Raghuvanshi has been untraceable, he said.

According to police sources, Raghuvanshi was initially recruited as a sub-inspector in the Special Branch and went on to become an inspector and later a Deputy Superintendent of Police.

However, she was charge-sheeted for remaining absent from duty for one and a half years, and subsequently demoted to the rank of inspector, sources added.