STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The CJM (Chief Judicial Magistrate) Court here on Wednesday remanded former DIG (Deputy Inspector General) of Assam Police Prasanta Kumar Dutta to CID (Criminal Investigation Department) custody for six days.
A team of the Assam Police brought Dutta to Guwahati from West Bengal at around 3:30 on Wednesday morning. After he tested COVID negative at the MMCH (Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital) here, Dutta was produced before the Court.
On Tuesday morning, Dutta was arrested by the West Bengal Police after he was handed over to them by the Nepal immigration officials. Earlier, the officials had detained him at the Pani Tanki Kakarvitta immigration outpost in Nepal.
Dutta is reportedly the mastermind behind the scam linked to the recruitment of 597 SIs (Sub Inspectors-Unarmed) in the Police department. The scam came to light following the question paper leak on September 20 — the day of the written examination.
Police seized the Range Rover (TN19 Q6464) in which Dutta had travelled to Siliguri from Guwahati. The CID seized the vehicle from Japorigog in Guwahati. The seizure took place after Dutta was brought to the city.
Revealing the modus operandi, police sources said that the middleman offered to book several rooms of Dutta's hotels in the city to carry out the mock tests for the SI exam. They then offered to recruit 10 candidates from Dutta's side.
Of the list offered by Dutta, one of the candidates is Hirakjyoti Barua from West Karbi Anglong. Hirakjyoti was arrested from Nagaon. During a search operation, the CID recovered Hirakjyoti's e-admit card from Dutta's palatial house at Hengerabari in the city. Hirakjyoti confessed to the CID that he had given Rs 6 lakhs in three installments to PK Dutta.
During the day, Police sealed the Bongaigaon office of Akshay Telecommunication. This private organization was one of the parties that was given the responsibility to conduct the SI recruitment examination.
On Tuesday night, Lakhimpur Police handed over Atul Nath to the CID. Atul is a constable of the 19 APBn (Assam Police Battalion). He was detained by the police after his mobile number was found in the call list of PK Dutta.