Madhya Pradesh cop gets Rs 28 lakh without reporting to duty for 12 years: Here's how

The issue came into light after a Service Record (SR) check, mandated ahead of his 10-year time-scale pay upgrade

In Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha, one police constable allegedly drew a salary worth Rs 28 lakhs for 12 years without reporting to duty or even completing training. In what can be called an extreme case of administrative oversight, the cop kept getting salary for years without reporting to duty even for once.

The issue came into light after a Service Record (SR) check, mandated ahead of his 10-year time-scale pay upgrade.

"The constable was supposed to undergo basic training in Sagar. When his entire batch was sent, he was on leave. When he returned, he was sent separately - but instead of going to the training centre, he went home to Vidisha,” assistant commissioner of Police Ankita Khaterkar, investigating the matter, has been quoted as saying to NDTV.

According to reports, one Abhishek Upadhyay was recruited into the MP Police in 2011 and posted at Bhopal Police Lines. He was then sent to Sagar Police Training Centre under standard procedure, but Upadhyay returned to his hometown Vidisha instead of reporting there.

It is understood that he neither informed his department nor applied for leave. No medical papers were submitted either.

Reports say he sent his service file via speed post to Bhopal, claiming that he had fallen ill which was accepted without verification.

Then over the next 12 years, Upadhyay continued to receive the government salary without reporting to training or duty even for a day.

“He didn't inform any officer or apply for leave. He just sent his service file by post, saying he was unwell. The file was accepted in Bhopal without any checks. Since we had already sent a letter saying he was being deputed, Sagar didn't raise a flag either. No one noticed he never showed up,” Khaterkar said.

This comes after an NDTV report detailing nearly 50,000 government employees in the state whose data is present in the state's records but who haven't withdrawn their salaries since December 2024. This case shows the other end of the extremities in the malfunctioning administration of the state.

According to the report, other trainees returned from Sagar but Upadhyay’s name was missing from the final list. However, since he was sent separately, no one noticed his absence.

Over the years, supervisors kept changing and records were never checked, verified or updated.

It was only during the SR check, it was found that there were no rewards, punishments or duty record in his case.

The establishment branch called him in, as per the report and upon his appearance, the department realised Upadhyay had never served a single day.

Upadhyay has admitted the same. "I didn't understand how the system worked. I had a serious accident, and there's still a metal rod in my leg. I suffered from migraines, and my love marriage caused stress at home. I was mentally unwell and under treatment. I made a mistake,” he told NDTV.

Attributing the officials, it is estimated he collected Rs 28-35 lakh in salary over the years and has returned just Rs 1 lakh so far, saying he will pay the rest in installments.

It is also known that he has not submitted any medical proof to support his claims. A probe is on in the matter and the police have said that they are now reviewing all relevant documents, adding that it is possible others are doing the same, drawing salaries without reporting to duty.