Chhattisgarh Fraud: AI Uncovers Alleged ₹2 Crore Police Salary Scam In Bastar; 3 Constables Arrested

Jagdalpur, July 2, 2026: Three police constables from Chhattisgarh's Bastar were arrested this week after government auditors used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to uncover an alleged salary fraud that had gone undetected for nearly three years.

Police said this was the first time AI tools had been used to conduct such an audit. The three allegedly siphoned off between Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 2 crore by inflating their salaries between October 2023 and May 2026.

According to investigators, the key suspect, Girish Rai, was posted as an assistant in the salary section of the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP) in Jagdalpur.

The other two arrested are constables Rajkumar Katlam and Hemant Mathew. Investigators alleged that Rai edited soft copies of salary records before they were processed, fraudulently increasing the salaries of himself and the two constables.

AI Detects Salary Irregularities

Investigators said the alleged fraud remained undetected because police salary expenditure changes frequently due to transfers, postings and variations in personnel strength. “The fraud went undetected because police salary expenditure fluctuates frequently due to regular transfers, postings and changes in personnel strength,” an officer said. The suspects allegedly increased their salaries by small amounts each month, allowing the fraud to escape notice for years.

The irregularities came to light only after auditors used AI to analyse salary data of around 2,000 personnel. “The data related to salaries was voluminous and so auditors proactively decided to use AI tools,” Bastar SP Shalabh Kumar Sinha said. Investigators added that the sheer volume of data had made it difficult to detect the anomalies earlier.

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Case Highlights AI Role

Police have booked all three for cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of government funds under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

They were produced before a court and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. The case has also highlighted how AI can help identify financial irregularities that may otherwise remain hidden in large volumes of government data.

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