₹41L cash missing from Kanpur police station ‘malkhana’; Lucknow S-I under scanner

Cash worth ₹41.30 lakh, jewellery worth several lakhs of rupees and key evidence related to 21 criminal cases have mysteriously gone missing from the ‘malkhana’ or storehouse of the Govind Nagar police station here, officials confirmed. These items disappeared more than two years ago.

Most of the missing cash was recovered during raids on gambling dens and cybercrime operations. The missing evidence included forensic and viscera reports, two mobile phones, and documents related to cases of murder, attempted murder and offences under the POCSO Act, the officials said.

The prime suspect in the case is sub-inspector Dinesh Chandra Tiwari, who is currently posted at the Chowk police station in Lucknow. Tiwari served as the head ‘moharrir’ or records keeper at the Govind Nagar station between October 22, 2020, and October 17, 2022.

Mahesh Kumar, the additional DCP of Kanpur South, said an FIR had been filed against Tiwari in Kanpur. “Tiwari is due to retire next month, and the worth of the missing cash and jewellery will now be recovered from his service funds. Authorities in Lucknow have also been notified, and an investigation is underway,” Kumar added.

Tiwari reportedly handed over the charge to head constable Ajay Singh when he was transferred but failed to provide the latter with an inventory list for cross-checking purposes. It was only after two years of correspondence that Tiwari returned to Kanpur on August 7 last year. Upon reviewing the malkhana records, it was found that ₹41,30,552 in cash and jewellery linked to nine cases from 2021 and 12 cases from 2022 were unaccounted for.

When asked to explain the missing items, Tiwari went into hiding. Pradeep Singh, the SHO of Govind Nagar, confirmed that Tiwari had not yet been arrested and the charges against him carried a sentence of less than seven years. “We have issued notices to him to appear for questioning,” Singh said, adding Lucknow police would also question Tiwari if he failed to respond to the Kanpur authorities.