APSC’s cash-for-job scam: Another ACS officer surrendered before court
Guwahati, Nov 20 (IBNS): Another Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer, allegedly involved in cash-for-job scam in Assam Public Service Commission ((APSC), on Monday surrendered before the special court in Guwahati.
According to the reports, Rumi Saikia, assistant commissioner and an ACS officer, who was reportedly absconding, surrendered before the special court in Guwahati and with this surrendered total ACS, APS and other allied service officials in custody increased to 23.
Meanwhile, the special court sent the surrendered officer to 14-day police custody, after Dibrugarh police filed a petition before the court seeking police custody.
Earlier, Dibrugarh police arrested 22 ACS, APS and other allied service officers in connection with the cash-for-job scam.
Dibrugarh district Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) and investigating officer of the scam, Surajit Singh Panesar said that, two more officials named Rakesh Gupta and Nishamoni Deka are still absconding and the police is trying to arrest them.
On the other hand, the Assam police is planning to quiz at least 38 more officials in connection with the scandal.
A top police official said that, the investigating team has accessed the forensic report of several answer scripts, which were earlier seized from the APSC office in Guwahai.
“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 brought to light after, Dibrugarh police 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 last year.
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, 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)
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