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Meghalaya policeman arrested on graft charges; hospitalised after falling ill
The senior officer was arrested for allegedly misappropriation of funds sanctioned for the establishment of the (NERS) Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) facility at Sadar police station
Senior Meghalaya police officer Gabriel Iangrai, who was arrested on Wednesday over serious graft charges, was admitted to Shillong Civil Hospital on Thursday due to complaints of illness.
Confirming the development, a senior police official said, Iangrai, the commandant of Meghalaya’s elite commando unit SF-10, was taken to the Shillong Civil hospital late on Thursday evening for a medical checkup and thereafter admitted in the Under Trial Prisoner cell of the hospital.
Confirming this, senior doctors at the Shillong Cil Hospital said Iangrai will be kept at the Civil Hospital for few more days as additional tests were required to ascertain his medical condition.
The senior officer was arrested for allegedly misappropriation of funds sanctioned for the establishment of the National Emergency Response System (NERS) Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) facility at Sadar police station.
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The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Meghalaya police registered a case against the Meghalaya Police Service (MPS) officer under Prevention of Corruption Act besides various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The embezzlement of public funds worth over ₹35 lakh by Iangrai was unearthed during an inquiry conducted by a four-member team led by deputy inspector-general (eastern range) Davis Nestell R Marak into the construction of the centrally sponsored NERS- PSAP facility.
Requesting anonymity, a senior police official revealed, “He kept some of the fund into his personal custody and submitted a falsified utilisation certificate of the project to the government.”
Following audit objections, Iangrai returned an amount of over ₹26 lakh back to the Official AIG (A) account on September 19, 2022, but the remaining balance amount of ₹8,50,404 is still in the personal custody of langrai.
Furthermore, Iangrai is also accused in a vehicle procurement scam in which he bought 29 vehicles for the police department, which allegedly remained mostly in his custody.
Soon after, former diplomat RV Warjri and another citizen filed a PIL in the Meghalaya high court against Iangrai for misusing public funds while purchasing the vehicles for the police department.
In response to this petition on Wednesday, the state government informed the Meghalaya high court that steps would be taken to freeze the assets of the accused police official since the “extent of defalcation” has been pegged at over ₹3 crore.
Meanwhile, a police official said Iangrai has accused a “top police official” for his role in the scam.
“An investigation into Iangrai’s claims against the top police official will be taken up in due course of time,” the official said.
The CID has seized many incriminating documents, cash and material objects from the residential premises of Iangrai at Lumshyiap locality in Golf Links area, official quarter at Golf Links, and a farm house at Rtiang, Umsning, Ri-Bhoi district.
