Paper leak case
NEW DELHI/ ITANAGAR, 4 Nov: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday conducted searches at 16 locations in connection with the leak of question papers of the assistant engineer (civil) recruitment test conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) in August this year, officials said.
The searches were spread across Arunachal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, during which incriminating evidence, including stamps of important functionaries such as executive magistrate and executive engineer, were seized, they added.
The APPSC had conducted the recruitment test on 26 and 27 August.
Akhilesh Yadav, a teacher at a coaching centre, Jeju Institute, Itanagar, and unidentified officials of the commission were booked in the FIR registered by the CBI on a reference from the state government.
The Arunachal Pradesh Police had registered an FIR on 10 September against Yadav and others in the matter.
The case was re-registered by the CBI in accordance with the laid down procedure.
2 granted bail
Meanwhile, two persons – Akhilesh Yadav and Gumin Darung, a candidate whose name had come up during the interrogation of middleman Tama Saroh – have been granted bail.
Darung’s bail plea was made absolute by the court in Yupia on Friday. He had been seeking bail since October, reliable sources said. He is currently under the protection of the Itanagar permanent bench of the Gauhati High Court.
The sources informed that the middleman, Tama Saroh, had taken Rs 70 lakhs from Darung in lieu of ensuring that he would pass the exam. Darung, however, denied any monetary transaction having taken place between him and Saroh, saying that the Rs 70 lakhs came from selling land for his father’s medical treatment.
Gumin was interrogated by the CBI for about six days.
He was granted bail also because his father is in a critical condition at the NEIGRIHMS in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Two bail pleas, for Loth Ezing and his father, were rejected on Thursday as the CBI could not produce their case diary in the court.
On Wednesday, middleman Jobomchang Mengu, who had been absconding, surrendered before the special judge and the CBI.
Currently, Mengu and 10 others are in judicial custody.
Reportedly, Mengu had given Rs 40 lakhs to the then APPSC undersecretary Taket Jerang for a candidate. The candidate’s name has not been revealed yet.
It is learnt that most of the transactions in the scam were done in cash. (With PTI input)
