LoC Scandal: Special CBI Court, Guwahati Convicts 5 After 3 Decades

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Special CBI Court, Guwahati, delivered the verdict of the multi-crore-rupee LoC (letter of credit) scam after long three decades. Only 12 of the 34 accused in the scam are surviving, and five of them were convicted. The other seven accused have been acquitted.

While three of the convicts—BN Chankravarty, Taran Kumar Das, and Jayata Sarma—have been sentenced for three-year imprisonment and Rs 50,000 each as fine. The other two—Mohibur Rahman and Pranab Saikia—have been sentenced for two years and Rs 10,000 each as fines. The court acquitted seven other accused: D Purkayastha, D Sonowal, D Lashkar, Tutu Chetri, H Vaiphei, A Kro, and Jadab Gogoi.

The LoC scam that began during the term of the then Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia rocked the state during Mahanta’s regime in 1996. However, the CBI probe into the matter was closed after the then-Governor refused permission to prosecute the Chief Minister. The Tarun Gogoi government reopened it in 2010.

The modus operandi of the scam that took place in the Veterinary Department was leaving some spaces for a few digits on the left side of amounts of ‘letters of credit’ against contractors’ names to the treasuries. With a tacid understanding between some contactors and officials, the scamsters put more digits on the space left on the left side so as to inflate the amount according to their will.

 Also Read: Eight online trading scam accused brought to Guwahati; Likely to appear before Special CBI Court on Oct 30

Also watch: