Guwahati, March 28 : Assam police has arrested five more government officers in connection with Cash-for-Job scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).
According to the reports, the Dibrugarh police investigated the case had arrested four government officers from different parts of the state on Tuesday night and one officer on Wednesday morning.
Among the arrested government officers one is Assam Civil Service (ACS officer and one is Assam Police Service (APS) officer.
Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Dibrugarh district Surajit Sing Panesar said that, the investigating team had arrested the government officers for their alleged involvement in the scam.
The arrested officers are – Rituraj Gogoi (Circle officer, Dhakuakhana), Kaushik Kalita (Deputy Superintendent of Police, 26 IR Battalion, Salmara), Abhishek Borbora (Excise Inspector, Rongia), Satyajit Sarkar (Assistant Employment Officer, Majuli) and Barnali Devi (Tax Inspector, Nalbari).
Meanwhile, police has interrogated them at Assam Police Special Branch headquarter at Kahilipara in Guwahati.
Earlier, the Dibrugarh police had arrested 27 government officers in connection with the scam.
In this month, the Assam government had suspended ACS officer Avisika Baruah, who served as circle officer in Nazira in Sivsagar district in connection with the scam.
The government order said that, perused the report submitted by the Superintendent of Police, Dibrugarh vide letter No.RB/1147 on March 14, 2018 in connection with the Dibrugarh Police Station case no 936/16, it is reported that, Avisika Baruah has become approver in the case and her statement has been recorded U/S 161 CrPC.
“In her statement Avisika Baruah has made disclosure of her inculpatory and exculpatory acts. This prima facie shows her involvement in a criminal conspiracy,” said in the government order.
Earlier, Assam government had suspended 24 officers of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other allied services and sacked 3 other ACS officers, who were arrested by the Dibrugarh police in connection with the cash-for-job scam.
On February 7 last, Dibrugarh police had grilled nine more government officials of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other allied service in conection with the scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) in Guwahati.
The investigating team of Dibrugarh Police had interrogated the government officers at Assam Police Special Branch (SB) headquarter at Kahilipara in Guwahati for several hours.
All nine government officers were asked to write up paragraphs in different subjects and the investigating team had taken signature samples of the officers.
The government officials who were appeared before the investigating team are – Avisikha Baruah (ACS), Rituraj Gogoi (ACS), Joydev Mahanta (ACS), Kaushik Kalita (APS), Sanjan Phukan (ACS), Debabrata Dey (APS), Satyajit Sarkar (Assistant Employment Officer) and Abhishek Borbora (Inspector of Excise).
“We have already identified few more officials after receiving the forensic report and would likely to be asked them to appear before the investigating team,” the top police official said.
The top official of Assam police said that, apart from it, police had also identified at least 12 middlemen for their involvement in the cash-for-job scam.
Sacked chairman of APSC Rakesh Paul’s brother Rajib Paul, Sudip Das, Mrigen Saikia and Mofidul Islam are among the middlemen, who are presently absconding.
The entire scam has been came to light after, Dibrugarh police had arrested an engineer named Naba Kanta Patir from Upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district after they caught him red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a lady doctor to provide a secured government job on October 27 in 2016.
Following the incident, Dibrugarh police had registered a case and arrested then chairman of APSC Rakesh Paul from Guwahati and later arrested few more persons including former members of APSC Samedur Rahman, Basanta Doley, Pabitra Kaiborta, Musharaf Hussain, Mabud Ali Choudhury, three ACS officers Bhaskarjyoti Dev Sharma, Bhaskar Dutta and Amit Sharma.
On August 31 last year, the Gauhati High Court had granted bail to 10 accused persons including three Assam Civil Service (ACS) officials, who were arrested in connection with the cash-for-job scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
