Over Rs 5.28cr cash seized, eight more arrested in Assam Police recruitment scam

Over Rs 5.28 crore in cash was seized and eight more people were arrested for their alleged involvement in Assam Police recruitment scam, taking the total number of those nabbed to 45, DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said on Saturday.

Raids were carried out in several districts in the last few days to apprehend the main culprit in the police recruitment question paper leak, he told reporters here.

"Our prime objective is to find out the person who leaked the paper. we are leaving no stone unturned for achieving it. So far, we have arrested 45 people in five cases registered in the scam," Mahanta said.

Police recovered Rs 3.4 crore in cash from Bongaigaon, Rs 1.7 crore from Barpeta, Rs 3 lakh from Chirang and Rs 15 lakh from another place in the last 24 hours, the DGP said.

Speaking about the progress of the investigation, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Gyanendra Pratap Singh said, "We have been probing the case for the last 20 days and are now investigating how the question paper was leaked." Asked if any serving official from the Assam Police is involved in the racket, Singh said, "Patience is the biggest virtue... We are looking at any other conspiracy." CID Inspector General Surendra Kumar said a huge amount of documents and digital evidence have been collected during the investigation, and the department is trying to prepare chargesheets for filing it within the stipulated period of 90 days.

"We have inducted two more members in the investigation team. We now have three DSPs, three inspectors and several technical experts in the group," he said.

Retired Assam DIG P K Dutta, a prime accused in the police recruitment examination paper leak, was arrested on Wednesday and remanded to police custody for six days.

Dutta was absconding along with another accused, the expelled BJP leader Diban Deka who was apprehended on October 1.

Police had earlier issued lookout notices and announced an award of Rs 1 lakh each for any information which could lead to their arrest.

The CID has already written to the competent authority to cancel the licences of two 'Bhargav' hotels owned by Dutta, Kumar said.

"We have made very good progress in terms of collecting evidence against the accused. So far, 10 have already given statements in front of the magistrate," he added.

Examination to recruit 597 sub-inspectors was cancelled on September 20, minutes after it began, as the question paper was found to have been leaked on social media.

Around 66,000 candidates had downloaded their admit cards for appearing in the written tests across 154 centres across the state.

The State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB) chairman Pradeep Kumar subsequently resigned on September 27 taking "moral responsibility" for the leak.

The written examination has been rescheduled on November 22. =

Image Credits: PTI