Cabin Crew To Police Officer To Extortion Accused: Madhya Pradesh Cop In Land Grab Row

She once served passengers thousands of feet above the ground as an Air India cabin crew. Then came a dramatic career switch. Neha Pachisia cracked the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission examination, joined the state police as a Deputy Superintendent of Police and rose to become City Superintendent of Police (CSP) in Katni.

A decade after that celebrated transition, Pachisia now finds herself on the other side of a criminal case, accused of using the very police machinery she was entrusted with to protect citizens to allegedly pressure a murder accused's family into selling land worth nearly Rs 83 lakh for just Rs 18.20 lakh.

The allegations have triggered action at the highest level of the Madhya Pradesh government. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday directed Pachisia's immediate suspension, two days after an FIR was registered against the serving officer and two private individuals at Katni's Kuthla police station. The officer will remain attached to the Police Headquarters in Bhopal during her suspension, while the Chief Minister has ordered a fair investigation and stringent action against anyone found responsible.

At the heart of the case is a property belonging to Ramesh Lodhi and a staggering gap between what government records said it was worth and the price at which it was allegedly made to change hands. According to the police inquiry, the property's value was Rs 82.86 lakh. Yet investigators allege that Lodhi's family was pressured into selling it for only Rs 18.20 lakh to Maroof Ahmed Hanafi. So, a property officially valued at nearly Rs 83 lakh was allegedly sold for less than one-fourth of that amount.

What turns an allegedly undervalued land deal into a far more serious case is the charge that police authority itself may have been used to make the transaction happen. Lodhi was in jail and facing investigation in a criminal case. Investigators are now examining allegations that the vulnerability of his family was exploited and official influence and police machinery were used to pressure them into executing the sale.

The money trail has added another layer to the case. Registration records show that Rs 15 lakh of the Rs 18.20 lakh consideration was paid by cheque and Rs 3.20 lakh in cash. But when investigators examined purchaser Maroof Ahmed Hanafi's finances, they allegedly found something striking: his bank account had a balance of just Rs 3,036 on July 11, 2025.

Then, on April 15, 2026, the very day the property was registered, Rs 15 lakh suddenly arrived in Hanafi's account.

Investigators say Rs 10 lakh came from an entity called Shine Partners, while another Rs 5 lakh was transferred from the account of Kshitij Raj Barapatre, who has also been named as an accused. The inquiry allegedly uncovered another unusual link -- the bank accounts of Shine Partners and Barapatre were associated with the same PAN number.

The trail did not end there. According to the inquiry report, Barapatre is believed to be a close associate, relative or business partner of Pachisia.

The FIR was registered on Wednesday following a complaint from the Bhopal Vigilance Branch and directions from Jabalpur Zone Inspector General Pramod Verma. An inquiry conducted by IPS Anu Beniwal had examined the land deal and the allegations surrounding it before the criminal case was registered.

Katni Superintendent of Police Abhinay Vishwakarma confirmed that the case includes serious charges. "The case has been registered against the CSP and other accused on charges including fraud, coercion and criminal conspiracy," he said.

The family's allegations go beyond the original registry. Ramesh Lodhi's son Akash has alleged that when his father later attempted to have the disputed registry and transfer cancelled, the family was threatened. Investigators will now have to determine who issued those alleged threats, whether they were connected to the property transaction and whether any serving police personnel or official resources were used to exert pressure.

Pachisia had also approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking relief in connection with the matter. The latest departmental action followed the court's refusal to grant her interim relief.

Barely a month earlier, transport businessman Mahendra Jain had accused Pachisia of demanding Rs 30,000 after one of his trucks was stopped during vehicle checking on the night of July 21. Jain alleged that Rs 25,000 was collected in cash on the spot and that the remaining Rs 5,000 was to be sent through the driver the following day. According to his complaint, he was allegedly warned that the truck would otherwise be impounded and taken to the police station.

Jain, whose five vehicles transport sand and dolomite, submitted what he described as evidence along with his complaint and demanded an impartial inquiry. The allegation prompted immediate administrative action. Constable-driver Keshav Singh was suspended, the inquiry was handed to Additional Superintendent of Police Kamal Maurya, and three police stations were subsequently taken out of Pachisia's supervisory jurisdiction and placed under another DSP.

The fall is particularly dramatic because Pachisia's journey into policing once made for an inspiring career story. A native of Pachore tehsil in Rajgarh district, she entered aviation after Class 12 and subsequently became a cabin crew with Air India. She then chose an entirely different life, prepared for the state civil services examination and appeared for the MPPSC in 2012. When the final result was declared in 2016, Pachisia had secured the 20th rank in Madhya Pradesh and entered the police service as a DSP.