JAIPUR: In a major crackdown against corruption, the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case against Praveen Kumar Charan, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Dholapani Police Station in Pratapgarh district. The Inspector-rank officer was caught with unaccounted cash totaling ₹2,87,650 following a meticulous trap operation coordinated across multiple districts.
The FIR was formally registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018) at the Central Police Station (C.P.S) in Jaipur.
The Complaint
The investigation was triggered by a complaint filed by 26-year-old Ritesh Mali, a resident of Chhoti Sadri in Pratapgarh. According to the complainant, his elder brother, Rohit Mali, had been detained by the Dholapani Police in connection with a sexual assault case.
SHO Praveen Kumar Charan allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹1,00,000 to ensure that Rohit would not be subjected to physical assault while in custody, to provide structural assistance in the legal case, and to keep their father from being falsely implicated in the investigation. Unwilling to yield to the extortion, Ritesh approached the ACB helpline (1064) to set a trap.
The Trap Operations and Secret Recordings
Because the complainant expressed safety concerns about visiting the Dungarpur ACB outpost, a specialized task force led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) met him secretly at the Pratapgarh Bypass on May 12, 2026.
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The ACB team outfitted the complainant with digital voice recorders to verify the bribery demands. During initial calls, the suspect instructed Ritesh to bring an immediate token payment of ₹20,000 to the police station. Although the complainant successfully handed over the ₹20,000 under covert supervision, technical issues prevented the recording device from capturing a definitive verbal demand.
The operation was extended into the next day, May 13, 2026. Armed with backup government smartphones and fresh digital tape recorders, the ACB tracked the suspect’s movements. The SHO escalated his demand, asking for an additional ₹3,00,000 to be delivered immediately.
Extortion in Custody and Interception
The investigation took a dramatic turn when the SHO used his own mobile phone to put the detained brother, Rohit, on the line with his employer, a local businessman named Mitansh Kothari. Under severe duress, the businessman yielded to the pressure and handed ₹3,00,000 over to the SHO on Rohit’s behalf.
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Immediately after pocketing the extortion money, the SHO, accompanied by an armed police escort and the detained prisoner, drove a private vehicle toward Gangapur, Bhilwara, under the pretext of a crime-scene verification.
Alerted to the movement, the ACB layout a strategic intercept point. At approximately 7:35 PM on May 13, the suspect’s white Hyundai Aura (Registration No. RJ09 CB 9422) was intercepted at the Narsingh Toll Naka in Pratapgarh.
Cash Seizures and Audio Evidence
A thorough search of the vehicle in the presence of independent gazetted witnesses yielded massive evidence:
- ₹2,50,000 in Cash: Five bundles of ₹500 notes were found hidden inside the dashboard glove compartment directly in front of the co-driver’s seat.
- ₹37,650 in Cash: Found directly inside the front pocket of the SHO’s uniform trousers.
- ₹14,000 Recovered from Quarters: A secondary raid at the officer’s official residence uncovered ₹14,000 in cash. Cross-referencing the serial numbers proved these notes were part of the initial ₹20,000 verification bribe handed over by the complainant the previous day. The suspect claimed he had already spent the remaining ₹6,000.
The accompanying police constables traveling in the vehicle distanced themselves from the crime during questioning. They testified that the SHO had ordered them out of the vehicle at a secluded roadside spot near Badi village to secretly receive the cash bundles from a private individual.
When asked to provide a voluntary voice sample to match the incriminating WhatsApp call recordings, the accused SHO flatly refused to cooperate.
Ongoing Investigation
The Superintendant of Police (ACB), Piyush Dixit, officially signed off on the FIR. Harishchandra Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police (ACB Chittorgarh), has been formally designated as the primary investigating officer to handle the subsequent trial procedures. Copies of the FIR have been forwarded to the Special Session Court for Anti-Corruption cases in Udaipur.
