Shocking Exposure of a Fake Drug Case
In one of the most disturbing policing scandals in recent years, the Malhargarh police station of Mandsaur — recently ranked among the top ten police stations in India — now stands disgraced after CCTV footage revealed that its own officers had kidnapped an innocent 18-year-old student and framed him in a fabricated narcotics case. The dramatic revelation has shaken the Madhya Pradesh police department and triggered strict scrutiny from the High Court, which demanded answers from the Superintendent of Police (SP) after reviewing video evidence that contradicted the official narrative.
According to official records, police claimed they had arrested a young man, Sohan, with 2.7 kg of opium near Banda Khal on the evening of August 29, 2025. However, multiple CCTV clips, eyewitness videos, and passenger testimonies proved that the arrest did not happen at the location or time the police stated. Instead, the footage showed a group of plain-clothes policemen stopping a moving bus, dragging the boy out, and taking him away without any seizure, warrant, or search.
The fabricated story of a “major narcotics breakthrough” collapsed instantly once the footage surfaced, forcing senior police officials to admit in court that the case had been tampered with and the student wrongfully detained. What followed is a detailed chain of shocking procedural violations that raise deep questions about policing standards under the NDPS Act.
A Complete Timeline: What Really Happened
On the morning of August 29, 2025, Sohan, a Class 12 student and a first-division scorer preparing for competitive exams, boarded a bus travelling from Mandsaur to Pratapgarh. At around 11:39 AM, the bus halted abruptly near Malhargarh, where four men in plain clothes boarded the vehicle. CCTV footage from the bus clearly identifies the men dragging Sohan out without any official documentation or lawful grounds.
Importantly, the video reveals that Sohan was carrying no bag, packet, or any item that could remotely resemble narcotics. Passengers later testified that there was no search, no questioning, and no sign of any contraband. Yet, five hours later, the Malhargarh police declared that they had intercepted the boy near a cremation ground at 5 PM and recovered 2.7 kg of opium in a “major crackdown on drug syndicates.”
The FIR filed under the NDPS Act also mentioned a different location and time from what CCTV footage captured. The discrepancy, exposed by the family, became the key trigger that brought the matter before the High Court. Less than 24 hours later, on August 30, Sohan was produced in court and sent to judicial custody, where he remained for nearly two months despite his family's insistence that he was innocent and illegally detained.
Family’s Fight for Justice and High Court Intervention
After exhausting local avenues and failing to get clarity from district officials, Sohan’s family approached the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 5, filing a habeas corpus petition. They submitted the CCTV footage, witness statements, and bus recordings, all of which directly contradicted the police version. The court, taking serious note of the material, demanded the personal presence of Mandsaur SP Vinod Kumar Meena.
On December 9, during a high-profile hearing, the SP acknowledged that the arrest shown in the FIR was fabricated. He admitted that the officers seen in the viral video were indeed from the Malhargarh police station and had forcibly taken Sohan earlier in the day — a fact not recorded in any police document. The court noted the inconsistencies with deep concern, pointing out that the student had been deprived of his liberty without lawful cause and was later framed in a grave NDPS offence.
The SP’s admission was critical: he confirmed that the officers did not follow NDPS procedures, did not have any recovery on-spot, and later created a false narrative of seizure to justify their actions. The High Court reserved its order but hinted at serious action against the officers involved, including possible contempt, compensation, and further investigation.
Six Policemen Suspended After Evidence Surfaces
Following the revelations, SP Meena suspended six policemen from the Malhargarh police station, including Head Constable Rajendra Singh, who allegedly led the illegal team. The officers have been attached to police lines pending a detailed departmental inquiry supervised by Additional SP Hemlata Kuril. According to the SP’s statement, the team acted outside their jurisdiction, without warrants, and fabricated the NDPS case to show a “successful operation.”
Sources close to the investigation suggest that the opium shown in the recovery photographs was not seized from Sohan but possibly taken from another unrelated case. The High Court has asked for complete logs, chain-of-custody documents, and forensic verification of the narcotics allegedly seized. The court remarked that the case reflects a deeper systemic problem where police pressure for results may be pushing officers toward illegal shortcuts.
Senior advocate Himanshu Thakur, representing the family, described the incident as “state-sponsored kidnapping,” noting that without the CCTV footage, the student’s future could have been destroyed. Legal experts believe the case could become a landmark example in judicial oversight of NDPS procedures.
Irony: Award-Winning Police Station Now Disgraced
The scandal has drawn even more attention because the Malhargarh police station recently received national recognition, ranking ninth among India’s Best Police Stations. The award, given just weeks before the incident came to light, praised the station’s efficiency, community responsiveness, and narcotics enforcement — the same area now under scrutiny.
Activists and policing experts say this contradiction highlights the dangers of performance-based policing where pressure to show results can lead to unethical and unlawful practices. Members of the Madhya Pradesh Police Reforms Committee have called for immediate review of all recent narcotics cases filed by the station to identify potential irregularities.
As the inquiry progresses, the incident has sparked widespread calls for mandatory body-worn cameras, stricter oversight of plain-clothes operations, and independent monitoring of NDPS enforcement. Sohan, now released on interim bail, has returned home but remains deeply traumatized. He expressed hope that the case will not only clear his name but also protect others from similar abuse.
Why This Case Matters Nationally
Beyond the immediate scandal, this case highlights significant structural issues with narcotics investigations across India. Studies from the National Crime Records Bureau show that a large percentage of NDPS convictions are later overturned due to procedural lapses, poor chain-of-custody documentation, or unlawful detentions. The High Court’s handling of this case reinforces the judiciary’s role as a guardian against misuse of harsh narcotics laws.
Legal analysts believe the Malhargarh scandal may lead to broader reforms, including stronger auditing of police stations that receive awards, mandatory video evidence for narcotics recoveries, and external reviews of suspicious NDPS cases. Civil rights groups emphasize that the incident demonstrates the power of CCTV in protecting citizens from unlawful state actions.
As the High Court prepares its final order, the case stands as a crucial reminder that policing excellence must be earned through transparency, accountability, and respect for the law — not through fabricated arrests or manipulated statistics. For Sohan and his family, the fight continues, but the exposure of truth has already changed the narrative and triggered a long-overdue conversation on policing ethics.
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