A police chief has been taken off duty after family selfies showing his wife and children posing with bundles of banknotes surfaced on social media.
Police Sub-Inspector Ramesh Chandra Sahni – from Unnao, Uttar Pradesh State, India – became entangled in a bribery probe when the baffling photos emerged.
The images – which were rapidly shared across India – show his family sitting on a bed grinning at the camera with 27 bundles of INR 500 (GBP 4.8) notes.
Police investigating the case say the huge pile of cash was worth INR 14 million (GBP 13,393).
Sahni, reported local media, has been transferred to other duties while Station Officer Behta Mujawa investigates where the cash came from.
Unnao Police said in a statement on Twitter: “He has been directed to the Jurisdictional Bangarmau which will investigate the entire case.”
Sahni – reported local media – claims that the photographs were taken innocently after the sale of a family property in 2021.
But investigator Mujawar said: “A photograph featuring a station-house officer, his wife, and their children posing with bundles of notes is currently circulating on social media.
“We have acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, and as a consequence, the officer in question has been transferred to the police line.
“An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the veracity of the claims.”
