LUCKNOW, March 30 -- The Uttar Pradesh Vigilance Establishment has registered an FIR against suspended station house officer (SHO) Panna Lal at Gorakhpur sector police station for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The case was registered on March 20, officials said. Panna Lal's name had surfaced earlier in a high-profile extortion racket in Ballia district in July 2024. He went absconding after suspension over allegations of illegal collections from truck drivers along the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border in the Narhi area and was arrested in Gorakhpur on July 28, 2024. He was accused of running an organised extortion network involving police personnel and middlemen. Earlier, on July 25, 2024, police had claimed to have busted the racket with the arrest of two policemen and 16 brokers allegedly involved in collecting money from truck drivers plying through the border route. The latest action follows a detailed open inquiry ordered by the state government, which found prima facie evidence that Panna Lal, who was posted as SHO of Narhi police station in Ballia, accumulated wealth far exceeding his legitimate earnings during the investigation period. According to the vigilance probe, his total known income during the assessment period was Rs.1.49 crore, while expenditure and assets stood at Rs.2.70 crore, an excess of over Rs.1.20 crore. Officials said he failed to satisfactorily explain the discrepancy. Based on these findings, the vigilance department sought registration of a case under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and an FIR was formally lodged on March 20 following government approval issued in February 2026. Officials said a detailed investigation will now be conducted....