Assam: Dismissed ASI Santosh Kumar Choudhury's arrest imminent

 Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has rejected the bail petition of dismissed ASI Santosh Kumar Choudhury for the second time. This development comes after the Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell filed a case (2/2024) against the Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of Assam Police on the charge of owning assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. His earlier bail petition was also rejected by the court, making his arrest imminent in the days to come.

The officials from the Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell had earlier raided his residences in Guwahati and North Guwahati. A number of documents, including bank passbooks and property-related documents, along with a laptop, were seized by the authorities. The family mentioned that the flat in Guwahati was actually on rent, but they failed to show any documents to prove the same. The officials are also working on estimating the value of his property in North Guwahati. The family members mentioned that the official is in a different city, and the CM's SVC continues their search.

The Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell mentioned that during his service period in the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, the dismissed ASI amassed huge assets unscrupulously by intimidating government employees and falsely stating to them that they had cases pending in the Directorate. The Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell started its inquiry against him based on a complaint lodged by two people. The investigation revealed that he joined the service in 1999 as an AB constable, and in 2005 he was promoted to ASI rank. The investigators examined Choudhury's assets from April 1, 2012, to August 31, 2020. The total income of Choudhury from all sources stands at Rs 1,33,33,457, including his salary, family income, etc. On the other hand, the expenditure incurred by him and his family during the period was Rs 3,12,18,079, sources in the Vigilance Cell said. The extent of the disproportionate income of Choudhury, according to the Vigilance Cell, is Rs 2,33,19,501. The disproportionate assets to his sources of income were mentioned to be 174.89%.

Also Read: Assam: ASI amassed assets of 174% disproportionate to his income (sentinelassam.com)

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