With this arrest, the total arrest made so far into the Bopi-Potin road scam rose to two.
Itanagar
The Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of Arunachal Pradesh Police probing the multi-crore Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) land compensation scam has arrested one more engineer of Public Works Department (PWD) for his alleged involvement in the scam.
“We have arrested Assistant Engineer, PWD Yazali sub-division, Toko Taje, on late Wednesday evening based on the evidence of his role in assessment (of properties for compensation) in Yachuli sector.
The arrest was made as part of the ongoing investigation into the highway scam concerning the disbursement of compensation for construction of 157.7-km Bopi-Potin stretch of TAH,” informed the Superintendent of Police (SIC) M Harsha Vardhan, who is heading the probe.
Without divulging further details into the latest development, the SP (SIC) said, “We are taking action based on whatever evidences are coming in way of the investigation.”
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With this arrest, the total arrest made so far into the Bopi-Potin road scam rose to two, he said. Earlier on June 28, PWD Junior Engineer Kabak Bath was arrested in connection with the FIR No. 2/19 under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC, read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Two separate cases were registered in the TAH compensation scam, including the one from Potin to Bopi road and another was Joram-Koloriang stretch of TAH where three persons including the then Lower Subansiri Deputy Commissioner, then District Land Revenue and Settlement Officer (DLRSO) and a private individual were arrested in July 2018.
To a query whether the SIC was catching the ‘small fishes’ overlooking the ‘big’ ones, the SP said, “Basically, investigation is a gradual process. We take up action only when evidences are acquired (against accused persons) which are to be justified before the court of law. We cannot act on perceptions. Whatever evidences coming before us, based on that evidences, we will take further actions.”