
Missing Staff To Invisible Service: Madhya Pradesh Payroll Scam Tale Of 2 Extremes
Just days after NDTV exposed the shocking reality of nearly 50,000 government employees in Madhya Pradesh whose data is present in the state's records - but who haven't withdrawn their salaries since December 2024 - another scandal has surfaced, revealing the exact opposite side of the same broken system. One police constable in Vidisha drew salary for 12 years without reporting for duty or completing training.
Hired But Never Showed Up
In 2011, Abhishek Upadhyay was recruited into the Madhya Pradesh Police and posted at Bhopal Police Lines. As was standard procedure, he was then sent to Sagar Police Training Centre. But instead of reporting there, Upadhyay quietly returned to his hometown Vidisha.
He neither informed his department nor applied for leave. No medical papers were submitted. Instead, he simply sent his service file via speed post to Bhopal, claiming that he had fallen ill. Shockingly, his file was accepted without verification, and over the next 12 years, Upadhyay continued receiving a government salary - without attending a single day of duty or training.
12 Years Later: The Curtain Lifts
The truth emerged only after a Service Record (SR) check, mandated ahead of his 10-year time-scale pay upgrade. Assistant Commissioner of Police Ankita Khaterkar, who is investigating the matter, told NDTV: "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.
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."
When trainees returned from Sagar, his name was missing from the final list - but because he was sent separately, no one noticed his absence. Years passed. Supervisors changed. Records were never updated.
Only during the SR check did something seem off - no rewards, no punishments, no duty record. The establishment branch called him in. When Upadhyay finally appeared, the department realised he had never served a single day.
Authorities are now looking into how a lapse like this was even possible
"I Made a Mistake," Upadhyay Admits
In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Upadhyay admitted to the wrongdoing: "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."
Officials estimate he collected Rs 28-35 lakh in salary over the years. He has returned just Rs 1 lakh so far, claiming he will pay the rest in instalments. However, he has not submitted any medical proof to support his claims. A full investigation is underway.
Authorities are now looking into how such a lapse was even possible. How did files get processed without verification? Who were the officers responsible? And how many others might be drawing salaries without working?
ACP Khaterkar told NDTV: "We are now reviewing all relevant documents. It is possible others are doing the same - sitting at home while drawing salaries. I can't say for certain, but we can't rule it out either."
One System, Two Extremes
This scandal comes in the wake of NDTV's recent report that revealed 50,000 government employees in Madhya Pradesh have not withdrawn salaries since December 2024 - despite their employee codes being active in the payroll system. Some are retired or deceased, but many are believed to be active employees who were overlooked due to systemic errors.
The unpaid salary liability in that case exceeds Rs 230 crore.
After NDTV's investigation, the state government, which had initially asked for 15 days to respond, submitted its internal report in just three days. A full audit of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) is now underway.
When NDTV questioned Finance Minister Jagdish Deora, he refused to give a direct answer. "Whatever is done, is done according to the rules..." he said, before walking away from the camera.
NDTV's reporting has now lifted the veil on a crumbling administrative structure, where retired or deceased employees still have active codes, active employees remain unpaid - and some individuals walk away with lakhs without lifting a finger.
The government may claim there are no "ghosts" left in the system - but the shadows still linger.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Govt probe underway, 10 road works stopped: Why no FIR lodged so far?, asks activists
EVEN as the rural development department of the state government launched a probe into a fake GR (government resolution) case that led to sanctioning and tendering of development works worth Rs 6.94 crore in Ahilyanagar district, activists have raised eyebrows, seeking to know why no FIR has been filed in the case so far. The fake GR carried the issue date as October 3, 2024. It was issued days before the Model Code of Conduct came into place on October 15 for the Maharashtra Assembly polls scheduled to be held in November. The fake GR authorised infrastructure works under budget head '2515 1238' meant for providing basic amenities to villages in Ahilyanagar, based on recommendations by elected representatives. 'We had issued tenders…some works were alloted and as many as 10 road works were set rolling in four talukas of in Ahilyanagar,' Laxmikant Jadhav, executive engineer of the state public works department told The Indian Express. Even as the road works started, officials in Mantralaya realised that they were being done through a fake GR. 'The officials came to know about the fake GR only when the contractors sought payment for the works undertaken so far. The rural development department immediately alerted us and all the works were cancelled. The government also stopped the payment,' B S Baviskar, superintending engineer, PWD, told The Indian Express. The rural development department had issued a circular on March 28 this year, directing all Zilla Parishads and Superintending Engineers of the Public Works Department to disregard the said GR and also verify correspondence related to budget head '2515 1238' through the government's official email ID, officials said. The circular also asked officials to remain vigilant while sanctioning works and inform higher authorities in case of doubts in GRs. It also directed them to initiate criminal proceedings if need be. The '2515' scheme of the rural development department facilitates small-scale rural works such as village roads, drains, roads to cemeteries and farms (also called pandan roads), public toilets, repairs to gram panchayat offices, gymnasiums and market stalls. 'These works typically cost between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 30 lakh and are carried out through Zilla Parishads or the PWD, often based on recommendations of local MLAs. Under the scheme, works costing Rs 1,500-2,000 crore are undertaken annually in Maharashtra,' the official said. Baviskar said the funds to the tune of Rs 6.94 crore were sanctioned but were not utilised, neither any payment was done by the government. 'After it was realised that the GR was fake, the executive engineer's office stopped all the works and issued notices to all contractors. They were told that we will not accept liability for any work. The executive engineer's office then submitted a report to the state government. The PWD had also taken legal advice and accordingly informed the government,' said the superintending engineer. Baviskar said the government had given instructions to file an FIR. 'I have also issued instructions to the executive engineer's office to file an FIR in the matter…,' he said. PWD officials said the copy of the GR is received by them from Mantralaya either through email or is collected by their officials from Mantralaya. 'In this case, the GR copy was delivered by someone at the sub-division office of the executive engineer,' said Jadhav. Kumbhar said the government should ensure that all official correspondence are received by the district collectors and ZP CEOs through official e-mail ID only. 'There should be one official email ID for say Pune District Collector or other collectors. They should not receive official mails on their personal IDs,' he said. Kumbhar said, 'This seems to be the tip of the iceberg. I think the government should carry out a comprehensive investigation to find out if there were other fake FRs issued and whether works worth crores have been undertaken.' 'Despite the fact that the government realised in April that a work worth crores got sanctioned through a fake GR, why are officials silent and why did they not file a police complaint? The rural department official sitting in Mantralaya and under whose signature the fake GR was issued should have been the first person to file the FIR,' said activist Vijay Kumbhar. Echocing the same views, activist Avinash Chilekar said, 'It has been four months since the fake GR issue came to light. But no minister is talking about it openly. They are busy criticising the Opposition but are silent about the wrong happening under their nose. It seems this is not an isolated case. This practice must be common in rural areas. The government should widen its probe to include all the districts now that the fake GR case has come to light.' -With inputs from PTI


Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
3 online fraudsters arrested for swindling pharmacist
Haveri: The CEN police in Haveri apprehended three individuals for allegedly swindling a pharmacist by impersonating as astrologers. The arrested persons are Ramesh Shatri and Gopal Shatri from Devaragudi village in Sindhanur taluk of Raichur district, while the third suspect's name remains undisclosed due to being a minor. Guru Shatri remains at large. The police recovered 227 gms of gold valued at Rs 21 lakh from the arrested individuals, as confirmed by SR Ganachari, CPI of CEN police station. A 23-year-old pharmacist in Haveri became a victim of a sophisticated cyber fraud, resulting in the loss of gold ornaments worth Rs 15 lakh. The victim, a BPharma graduate employed at a private hospital in Haveri, was duped by individuals pretending to be astrologers. The incident was reported to the CEN police station in Haveri. The victim came across an advertisement for the Astrotalk mobile application on Instagram that offered astrological consultations. She initiated contact with the suspects through the application and communicated via text messages. After receiving online payment, the fraudsters dispatched a 'yantra', kumkuma, and other items to her. Later, the primary suspect contacted the victim, claiming she would face serious difficulties due to issues in her kundali. When she requested assistance, the suspect recommended a special puja at their ashrama in Mysuru. He directed her to provide all her gold ornaments for the ceremony and organised his associates to collect them in Haveri.


Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Pressured by lover to marry, UP man fakes his kidnapping; traced to Gurgaon & brought home
Bijnor: Facing pressure to marry his girlfriend even though he was not financially stable yet, a 24-year-old man from Amroha chose to instead disappear — faking his own kidnapping and escape to Gurgaon — where he demanded Rs 5 lakh from his own family to fund his escape. Hariom Kumar's plan was undone within 24 hours by police, who detained him from NCR and filed an FIR against him. Kumar, a resident of Gangeshwari village, had left home on Saturday without a word. He bought a new SIM card and used a social media app to make a ransom call to his brother Arvind, claiming he had been kidnapped and urgently required Rs 5 lakh for his release. Arvind immediately approached the Rehra police station and lodged a complaint. Police filed an FIR under BNS section 140(2) — mischief with intent to cause alarm — and launched an investigation. Amroha SP Amit Kumar Anand said, "The cybercell tracked the call to Garhi Harsaru, a village in Gurgaon, where Hariom Kumar was holed up. He was detained and brought back on Sunday night." When asked why he would fake something as serious as a kidnapping, Kumar told the police he had been in a relationship with a woman from his village for two years, and she and her family had recently begun pressuring him to marry her. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Providers are furious: Internet access without a subscription! Techno Mag Learn More Undo Anand said, "Marriage, he decided, was a commitment he could not honour — at least not yet. And since his pockets were empty, he hatched the plan: stage a kidnapping, demand money from his own family and use it to fund his escapade." Kumar has been charged under BNS sections 316 (cheating; fraudulently deceiving someone to cause harm, particularly financial) and section 203 (knowingly providing false information to a public servant).