Guwahati, Oct 10 (IANS): The Assam police in connection with the police recruitment scam on Saturday recovered around Rs 5.37 crore from the state's three western districts and arrested two railway staff, police officials said.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Gyanendra Pratap Singh said in a tweet : "An amount of Rs 5,36,88,640 was recovered in searches at Bongaigaon, Barpeta and Chirang districts. The money is suspected of being connected to CID Case No 21/2020 (SI Recruitment Case)"
Another police official said that the ongoing CID probe into Assam Police Sub-Inspector recruitment scam has been revealing sensational details gradually with two Northeast Frontier Railway employees were also arrested in this connection with the recovery of the money.
So far, 45 accused including Former Assam Police DIG Prasanta Kumar Dutta and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leader Diban Deka have been arrested in connection with the question paper leak case.
Dutta, one of the prime accused in the Assam police recruitment scam, was detained along the India-Nepal border on October 6 while Deka was arrested soon after he surrendered to the police at Pathacharkuchi in Barpeta district on September 30 night, police said.
Assam Police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh each for providing any information that could lead to their arrest.
The Chairman of Assam State Level Police Recruitment Board (SLPRB), Pradeep Kumar, quit the post last month citing moral responsibility for the recruitment test paper leak that resulted in the cancellation of the written exam on September 20.
Following the directions of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the CID and the Crime Branch of Assam Police have been probing the exam paper leak issue.
The investigation is being personally supervised by Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta.
On September 20, the SLPRB had cancelled the written test a few minutes after it had started after the question paper was leaked on social media.
Over 66,000 candidates had appeared in 154 centres in all the 33 districts of the state for the written test for 597 posts of sub-inspectors in Assam Police.
The main opposition Congress is agitating over the issue and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal after alleging that his office was involved in the police recruitment question paper leak scam.
Assam's Pradesh Congress President Ripun Bora and opposition leader Debabrata Saikia said that the party has been holding protests in all the 33 districts across the state.