Deputy inspector general of police (DIG) Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi has been booked on charges of cheating, financial irregularities and misappropriation of government funds, following a complaint by a police constable who claimed that he was denied reimbursement of ₹ 1.87 lakh spent on official arrangements.
He was promoted to DIG in January this year. He claimed that he was asked to make the necessary arrangements using his personal funds and was assured that the expenditure would subsequently be reimbursed. The police alleged that there is no record indicating the purpose for which Gandhi, then SSP, had used the funds. He demanded an independent audit and rejected the allegations of financial misappropriation.
The charges relate to a period when Gandhi, a 2012-batch IPS officer, was serving as superintendent of police, Shimla, from 2023 to February 7, 2026. A case was registered at Shimla Sadar police station on Thursday under Sections 316(5), 314, 318, 336 and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to the complaint and findings of a preliminary examination of financial records. The complainant, a constable posted at Kaithu police lines in Shimla, alleged that he had been assigned responsibilities for official work and arrangements during 2024 and 2025. The investigation revealed that a total of ₹ 2.35 lakh had been illegally withdrawn from a district police fund over the two years.
The police, in a statement, said that the relevant financial records were examined after the complaint was received. Reacting to the development, Gandhi said the FIR has been registered against him for questioning the utilisation of funds under the Himachal Pradesh Police Road Safety Fund.
