Assam Officials Arrested Over Fishery Corporation Financial Scandal

Eight officials, including Assam Civil Services cadre, face arrest over financial irregularities tied to Assam Fishery Development Corporation, following a DVAC investigation. Arrested individuals include former AFDCL senior officers, with past graft-related arrests adding to the scandal.

At least eight government officials, including two from the Assam Civil Services (ACS) cadre, have been arrested in connection with financial irregularities, the Vigilance Department said on Tuesday.

The Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption (DVAC), in a statement, said it conducted search operations during the day at multiple locations, including Guwahati, Belsor (Nalbari), Gauripur (Dhubri) and Raha (Nagaon), in connection with a case registered in 2023.

The case was registered for alleged misappropriation of government funds of Assam Fishery Development Corporation Ltd (AFDCL), it added.

During the search operation, the DVAC sleuths arrested two ACS officers -- Anuradha Adhikary Sarma and Naren Chandra Basumatary, both former managing directors of the AFDCL.

Basumatary is presently working as the joint secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

The DVAC also arrested two former executive engineers of the AFDCL -- Jyotish Saikia and Birinchi Adhikary.

Other AFDCL employees -- Jyoti Prasad Saikia (then assistant executive engineer), Saburuddin Ahmed (then assistant engineer), Bhogirath Das (then project manager) and Rabindra Narayan Deka (then assistant technical officer) -- have also been apprehended from different parts of the state.

''Necessary follow-up actions are continuing,'' the statement said.

Last week, another ACS officer, Lachit Kumar Das, was arrested on graft charges and over Rs 1.66 crore in cash and fixed deposits worth another Rs 86 lakh were seized, along with other investment documents.