Library service scam: Panbazar Police arrested former director Rumi Goswami

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Panbazar Police arrested former Director of Library Services Rumi Goswami today in a case (263/2022) relating to alleged illegal transactions by her.

The development came close on the heels of the Gauhati High Court rejecting the application to extend her pre-arrest bail yesterday. Panbazar police arrested her husband, Pranab Goswami, in connection with the case on November 26, 2022.

The Director of Library Services, Assam, lodged an FIR on October 26, 2022, against Rumi Goswami following a direction from the Additional Secretary of the Cultural Affairs Department and approval from the State Cultural Affairs Minister. The FIR was against alleged illegal transactions done by Goswami.

According to police sources, Raja Rammohan Ray Library Foundation had sanctioned Rs 68,85,340 in favour of the Director of Library Services, Assam, in 2019-2020. Goswami, the then Director of Library Services, Assam, completed the transactions of the first instalment amounting to Rs 22,72,162. Raja Rammohan Ray Library Foundation sanctioned the second instalment of Rs 46,13,178 in 2021-2022, credited into the official account of the Directorate of Library Services, Assam, maintained at the HDFC Bank. Goswami published an NIT (notice inviting tenders) in newspapers. She showed work allotted to several contractors. She transferred Rs 46,13,178 before retirement from the official account of the Directorate of Library Services, Assam, to her account. After retirement, she deposited several money receipts without the signatures of the contractors thereon.

One of the contractors, who had executed contracts at the time of the first instalment, stated that Goswami's husband was his partner during the first instalment. He knew later that another amount of the second instalment was disbursed in the name of his firm without his knowledge. Goswami's husband disbursed the entire amount of Rs 23,44,263.

Former director Goswami, during the investigation, admitted that as the Director of Library Services, Assam, she did not have the authority to disburse any amount of more than Rs 5,000 in cash, and any amount beyond Rs 5,000 had to be through self-cheque.

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