The Assam Police on Monday issued a lookout notice against Diban Deka, who identifies himself as a national executive member of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kisan Morcha, and former Deputy Inspector General PK Dutta in connection with a police recruitment exam scandal, reported The Sentinel. Deka and Dutta, the two main accused in the question paper leak case, are absconding. Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information on the location of the two.
The recruitment exam was scheduled to be held on September 20. However, it was cancelled minutes after it began after it was found out that the question paper had been leaked on social media. Nineteen people have been arrested so far – four by the police from Lower Assam’s Nalbari district and the rest by Guwahati Police’s Crime Branch and the Assam Crime Investigation Department, according to NDTV.
The police have conducted raids at various locations, including at Bhargab Grand Hotel. “We have found five money receipts to applicants, English and Assamese-language advertisements for the exams and training sessions, and 445 blank admission forms,” said Surendra Kumar, Inspector General of Police Assam (CID). “We also found Rs 5.45 lakh of unaccounted cash from one of the hotels.”
Kumar said they found that people registered to take the exam checked in to the hotel on September 19 and checked out at 7 am on September 20.
Besides, the police found a pistol and 40 rounds of ammunition. Accused Dutta had a gun licence but it expired in March.
Deka was earlier seen in Guwahati’s Ganeshguri area. “We have retrieved CCTV footage from the lodge,” said GP Singh, the additional director general of police (law and order). “Staff have already been arrested.”
Last week, Deka said he claimed he was the one to alert the authorities about the exam paper leak. He had said that he “left Assam” because he might be killed by some of the “big and corrupt officials” of Assam Police who are involved in the scam. Deka was allegedly involved in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam that the Central Bureau of Investigation is probing.
Pradeep Kumar, the former chairman of the State Level Police Recruitment Board that conducts the exam, has said that when he registered the case with the CID, both Deka and another person accompanied him. Kumar resigned from his post on Sunday after taking moral responsibility for the leak.
GP Singh said they did not arrest Deka at that time cause his name was not in the FIR. “Later it came up that he is also one accused,” he added. “One thing is assured – Diban Deka will be arrested, today or tomorrow. All involved will be arrested... no one can escape.”
The exams have been rescheduled for October 25 and Assam Police HQ will oversee its conduct. On Monday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reconstituted the SLPB board and appointed Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta the new chairman.
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