Assam fisheries scam accused arrested in Odisha
Guwahati/Puri: Another accused in the alleged financial irregularities at the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation Limited has been arrested in Puri, Odisha, marking the ninth arrest in the case, officials said on Sunday.
They said Padma Kanta Hazarika was arrested in Puri on Saturday and will be brought to Guwahati on transit remand. Reference: ACB PS Case No. 30/2023, registered in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds from the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation Limited. In a post on X, the vigilance department said, “Padma Kanta Hazarika, a key accused in the case and the then Project Director of AFDCL, was arrested yesterday by @DIR_VAC_ASSAM in Puri, Odisha.”
It further said, “He was produced before a court in Puri last night by a team of @DIR_VAC_ASSAM, and the court granted a 4-day transit remand to bring the accused to Guwahati.”
Last week, at least eight government officials, including two Assam Civil Services (ACS) cadre officers, were arrested in connection with financial irregularities in the same case, the Vigilance Department said on Tuesday.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) said in a statement that the arrests were made from several places, including Guwahati, Belsore (Nalbari), Gauripur (Dhubri), and Raha (Nagaon).
Those previously arrested include ACS officers Anuradha Adhikari Sarma and Naren Chandra Basumatary, both former AFDCL managing directors, and two former AFDCL executive engineers—Jyotish Saikia and Birinchi Adhikari.
Other AFDCL employees — Jyoti Prasad Saikia (then assistant executive engineer), Saburuddin Ahmed (then assistant engineer), Bhogirath Das (then project manager) and Ravindra Narayan Deka (then assistant technical officer) — have also been arrested.
