Crime Branch Nabs 2 Including Assam Minister's PA in Rs 4 Cr Scam

Days after BJP leader Ashim Kumar Das was arrested in a major scam of Rs 4 crore in Assam, the Crime Branch apprehended two more members of his gang on Saturday, sources said.

According to sources, the two persons nabbed by the Crime Branch are Assam Cabinet Minister Jogen Mohan's personal assistant Manmath Das and peon Prafulla Deka.

Manmath and Prafulla were allegedly assisting Ashim by providing him with entry passes for the Janata Bhawan in Dispur. Reports suggest that they charged between Rs 500 to Rs 1000 for each pass.

Both accused reportedly used the minister's seal on the entry passes and provided Ashim's gang with crucial information about which conference halls were vacant and when the minister would be absent.

According to Manmath's confession, the gang even arranged for out-of-state businessmen to use the conference halls. Manmath had retired from his job in January this year, but his tenure was extended on the minister's recommendation.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has requested a three-day police remand for both Manmath and Prafulla, sources added.

On September 25, Guwahati Commissioner of Police (CP) Diganta Barah unveiled a major scam worth Rs 4 crore in Assam, centred around fraudulent government contracts. Ashim Kumar Das was arrested for leading the syndicate that duped Noida-based Prontastic IT (Pvt) Ltd. Das and his associates issued fake work orders for government supplies and staged meetings with fake officials.

The Assam Police Crime Branch then arrested three key suspects and is investigating links to other scams, including one involving Rs 3.77 crore from a Bangalore-based firm.

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