Three ACS officers arrested in cash-for-job scam

Three Assam Civil Service (ACS) officers were arrested in connection with the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) cash-for-job scam, police said today.
The officers were sent to 14 days police custody by a local court here today.
The officials were arrested yesterday after verification by the Forensic Laboratory of their APSC examination answer sheets that were seized from the residence of former APSC chairman Rakesh Paul, police said.
The arrested officers are Halem circle officer Bhaskar Jyoti Devasarma, who had assumed office on Monday, Nalbari circle officer Bhaskar Dutta Das and Patharighat circle officer Amit Sarma, they said.
The officers were arrested by a police team from Dibrugarh district and interrogated in the headquarters of police's Special Branch here.

Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay said investigations revealed that the officers' answer scripts "were duplicate answer scripts which is a criminal offence.

"We will strictly follow the law and the trail of evidence," he said.
The trio was produced before the special court today which forwarded them to 14 days in police custody.
Former APSC chairman Rakesh Paul was arrested on November 4 last year from his office here on charges of accepting money in exchange of jobs to those taking examinations conducted by APSC.
Following Paul's arrest, eight others, including APSC's two members Samedur Rahman and Basanta Doley and assistant controller of examinations Pabitra Kaibarta, were also arrested in connection with the scam.