Scandals rock Assam Police as top official interrogated

Guwahati, Sep 25 (UNI) A multi-crore scandal has surfaced in the Assam Police Radio Organisation (APRO).

APRO Director P M Dastidar was today interrogated by the CID of Assam for an alleged purchase scandal where the APRO bought Rs two crore worth Digital Mobile Radio.

The CID sources said the APRO director was also interrogated yesterday and the questioning on the said purchase would go on further. He was asked about 20 questions and the CID if needed might take him into custody, the sources revealed.

The Home department sources said an arrest of the high official might take some time as some formalities were to be completed.

In 2001, the Assam Government had released Rs 1.60 crore for the purchase of Digital Mobile Radio from Motorola.

However, the APRO in collusion with some junior officers of the Home Department tried to swindle a large portion of the money. The matter was referred to the Vigilance department which found the APRO officials prima-facie involved in the scam.

The matter was later handed over to the CID by Assam Government and the investigating agency was now interrogating the APRO top brass and already arrested a Home Department official, Gagan Chandra Patar, who had confessed involvement of the APRO officials.

The Assam Police are still smarting from the salary scandal of the Assam police Battalion as at least in three Battalions salaries are being provided to fake jawans by a nexus of Home Department officials as well as Battalion top brass.

''These two incidents have damaged our reputation and I do hope that inquiries will bring out true results,'' one APRO person said.

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