Prime accused in Assam Police SI exam scam arrested

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GUWAHATI

Prime accused in the Assam Police sub-inspector recruitment scam, former Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Prasanta Kumar Dutta, who was on the run for more than two weeks, has been detained at the India-Nepal border, an official statement issued here on Tuesday afternoon said.

“Dutta has been detained at the Indo-Nepal border on the strength of the Letter Of Credit (LOC) issued by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Assam,” the statement said.

Official sources further informed that the former DIG was handed over to West Bengal police.

“Assam Police will take him in custody in due course and bring him to Assam,” the statement said.

Media reports claimed that Dutta was arrested while he was on his way to Assam along with his son-in-law (who is a Nepalese citizen) and later kept in the Panitanki area.

According to reports, sleuths of CID Assam have been tracking the whereabouts of the former Assam Police DIG in Nepal, which led to the arrest on Tuesday.

Dutta had been absconding since the cash-for-jobs scam was unveiled after reports of the SI (unarmed branch) exam paper leak on social media came to the fore minutes after commencement of the exam on September 20, 2020.

The written exam for 597 posts of sub-inspectors in Assam Police, conducted by the State Level Police Recruitment Board, had to be immediately cancelled and will now be held on November 22, 2020.