Kokrajhar District Transport Officer arrested, Rs 36 lakh seized

Police crackdown on corrupt transport department officials

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR: The District Transport Officer (DTO), Kokrajhar, Sameswar Brahma Mashahary was arrested by Kokrajhar police team on Wednesday night from his residence at Bengtol gate, Chapaguri in the Chirang district on charges of taking bribe. An amount of Rs 36 lakh was also seized.

Reportedly, he was taken to Guwahati from Chapaguri where he has another residence in Kahilipara. Kokrajhar police have arrested altogether 13 officials of the transport department of Kokrajhar who are involved with mafia who collect illegal money from truckers at Srirampur inter-state check gate. Three more enforcement checkers - Manaj Basumatary of Bodosa Bank Colony, Kokrajhar; Souvik Dey of Rabindra Nagar, Kokrajhar; and Richard Mashahary of Balajan Tinali - were arrested on Wednesday night and Rs 1 lakh from each arrested official was recovered.

Police sources said the raid at the residence of DTO Sameswar Brahma was carried out on the basis of a criminal case registered against him at Gossaigaon police station vide no.387/506/34 IPC. Earlier, Kokrajhar police arrested 9 officials of the Transport department for their links with illegal money collectors at Srirampur check gate and with the arrest of three more Enforcement Checkers, altogether 13 officials are now in the police net.

The DTO and Enforcement Checkers are allegedly involved with the mafia who collect money from trucks carrying broiler chicken, cow, sand and gravel etc. in different places, including Srirampur check gate. The truckers with broiler chicken coming from West Bengal to lower Assam were fined heavily for which the cost of broiler chicken rose to Rs 300 per kg in Kokrajhar. The cost of other essential materials too increased.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people on social networking sites welcomed the police action on corrupt officials and said that such prompt action would minimize the illegal activities of officials in the future.

Also Read:  Assam Forest Officials Arrested On Bribery Charges in Kokrajhar District

Also Watch: