Assam: Man accuses Anti-corruption officials of fabricating case

Darrang, April 2: As the sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption continue their drive against corruption, a startling revelation has come to the fore after a man accused the officials of the cell of falsely involving him in a corruption case.

The incident dates back to November 29, 2023, when the man, identified as Muktar Hussain, a furniture businessman, was contacted by an acquaintance, Rafik Ali, to accompany him to the Dhula Police Station in Assam’s Darrang. After several requests, Muktar agreed to accompany him to the police station.

When Muktar, accompanied by one friend, Mostafa Kamal, went to a common spot from where they were supposed to head to the police station, Rafik handed him an envelope with Rs. 1,00,000 cash and asked him to give it to the officer-in-charge of the police station.

“When I stopped my vehicle, Rafik Ali opened the door of my vehicle and suddenly put one envelope in my hands. Immediately, two unknown persons grabbed me and forcibly took me out of my vehicle. At the very moment, about 4-5 people came out of one white-coloured Bolero vehicle that was standing there, and one of them immediately started interrogating me by asking questions regarding the whereabouts of some persons by the name of Gogoi, Utpal, and then he shouted for constable and told his companions that I had not touched the envelope by hand. Hearing the same, one of the members of the said group put some powered substance in my hands. When I asked him what he had put, he replied that it was nothing but wheat powder, which was in his hand as he forgot to wash his hands after eating roti sabzi,” Muktar said in a complaint letter to Assam Director General of Police, GP Singh, alleging that the individuals claimed to be officials of the anti-corruption cell.

Muktar accused that after he refused to listen to them and hand over the envelope containing cash to the OC, he was taken to the police station and was kept in lockup for one month. He was released on bail on December 30, 2023.

After being released on bail, Muktar visited the spot from where he was taken to the police station and checked the CCTV footage. He said, “The CCTV clearly shows how they were putting a powder-like substance on my hands and taking me to the police station.”

Following this, Hussain appealed to the chief minister, GP Singh, ADGP Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Surender Kumar, and SP of the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance, to initiate an inquiry against the officials involved in the incident, adding that “I am not against the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption but against those individuals who are misusing their power.”