Excise SHO, constable suspended over alleged forgery of panchanama in ganja case to cover-up accused’s escape

Bhadrachalam Prohibition and Excise Station's Station House Officer (SHO), Rahimunnisa Begum, and constable Ch Ravi Kumar have been suspended for allegedly forging a document called panchanama in a ganja case. The aim was to cover up the escape of an accused from custody, according to officials. Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise C. Hari Kiran announced the suspensions following an investigation report submitted by Deputy Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise, Khammam.

The Excise Enforcement team arrested two individuals, Madhaba Hantal from Odisha and Budhra from Chhattisgarh, on August 4 and seized 4.58 kg of dry ganja from them. However, Madhaba allegedly escaped from the custody at Bhadrachalam Excise Station around 5.40 a.m. on August 5. The investigation report alleges that the SHO tampered with the panchanama by forging the signatures of detecting officers and panchas instead of following the proper procedure.

The forged panchanama, submitted to the court, showed only one accused arrested while the other was at large, allegedly to hide the truth of the case. The report also pointed out serious mistakes, including the SHO's attempt to deceive the court by submitting the forged panchanama and associated documents.