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Itanagar/Guwahati, Nov 25 (IANS) After Assam, the Arunachal Pradesh Police have arrested 23 people, including women and government employees, in a massive cash-for-job scam, the police said on Tuesday.
After the scam for recruitment of clerks in various government departments came to light in January this year, the Arunachal Pradesh government had constituted a Special Investigation Cell (SIC) with M. Harsh Vardhan as its Superintendent.
While briefing the media, Vardhan said that the SIC on Monday filed a 860-page chargesheet in the District and Sessions Court, Yupia, against 19 people who are reportedly involved in the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board's (APSSB) cash-for-job scam.
He said that 19 people have been arrested so far for the APSSB examination and recruitment of lower division clerks and four people have been arrested with regard to the recruitment of upper division clerks after the first case was registered on February 16.
"With the sanction of the court, we got four approvers who would be witnesses in the case. The SIC had frozen the bank accounts of the main accused, the then under secretary of the APSSB. Over Rs 1 crore was found in the bank accounts," the IPS officer said.
He added: "The investigation was also hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are also waiting for the forensic analysis report of some electronic devices which had been sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Chandigarh. After receiving the report, we would file a supplementary chargesheet in the court."
Chief Minister Pema Khandu had earlier constituted the APSSB to recruit clerks in different departments in a transparent manner.
In neighbouring Assam, the CID, the Assam Police Crime Branch and various other agencies have so far arrested 58 people in connection with the massive scam of leaking question paper for the written examination for 597 posts of unarmed Assam police sub-inspectors.
On September 20, the State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB) had cancelled the written test a few minutes after it had started after the question paper was leaked on social media.
On Sunday, over 65,000 candidates in 150 centres across 33 districts appeared for the written examination of for a second time, two months after the scam came to light.
The 58 people arrested in the question paper leak case include former Assam Police DIG Prasanta Kumar Dutta, a Superintendent of Police rank officer and younger brother of former Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjit Krishna, and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leader Diban Deka.
The CID sleuths also recovered around Rs 5.37 crore from the state's three western districts, including Barpeta, in connection with the scam.
The investigation is being personally supervised by Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta.
--IANS
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