RICE SCAM: Bureau of Investigation Economic Offences arrest three persons

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The BIEO (Bureau of Investigation Economic Offences), on Monday, arrested three persons including the Chief Commercial Manager (FM), Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR), Maligaon, Lakheswar Saikia in connection with a scam that took place during 2013-14.

Lakheswar Saikia was the General Manager (Region) FCI then. The other two persons are Dhiramba Hazarika, then AGM (Contract) FCI, Guwahati; and Tilak Chandra Bhattacharyya, then AG-1 (Contract), FCI. Both Hazarika and Bhattacharyya have retired now.

According to sources, 111 trucks loaded with sacks of rice from Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns failed to reach the destination point in Arunachal Pradesh.

In 2018, the Gauhati High Court ordered the CBI to take up the case. However, the case (8/2018 u/s 120B / 406/ 420/ 468/ 471 IPC) was later transferred to the BIEO.

Pointing out that "the three accused had accepted fake bank guarantees of around Rs 1.2 crore", sources added that "the trio has been slapped with charges of corruption and criminal conspiracy".

"In this connection, earlier the BIEO sleuths had arrested two contractors — Muzibur Rahman and Risoo Takka — who conspired with the officials. They had also made fake bank guarantees for the supply," said a BIEO official.

"The contracts were awarded hurriedly even before obtaining the genuineness of the bank guarantees. The fake certificates from the unauthorized persons were accepted much after awarding the contract," the BIEO stated.

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