Senior Arunachal official arrested in cash-for-job scam

Government sources said the cash-for-job scam involved 170 vacancies in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation.

The Arunachal Pradesh Police have arrested a senior government official and a middleman for their alleged involvement in a cash-for-job scam in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation.

Investigators say that the preliminary probe has indicated that Rs 5 lakh was taken as bribe from each of the selected candidates for the 30 vacancies of upper division clerks. (File photo)

On Friday, Pranav Tayal, Superintendent of Police, Special Investigation Cell (SIC), Arunachal Pradesh confirmed the arrest of Olik Tareng, the former Chief Municipal Executive Officer of Itanagar Municipal Corporation, and Nitesh Kumar Mishra, Tareng’s alleged accomplice in the multi- crore rupee scam.

Tareng was arrested from Dehradun on Thursday with the help of the Uttarakhand Police after he absconded from Itanagar. The Arunachal Pradesh Police obtained a one-week transit remand to bring the two men to Itanagar.

Government sources said the cash-for-job scam involved 170 vacancies in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation.

SIC, the anti-corruption wing of the state police was acting on an enquiry by Itanagar district administration following a complaint by All Arunachal Unemployed Engineers Association.

Investigators say that the preliminary probe has indicated that Rs 5 lakh was taken as bribe from each of the selected candidates for the 30 vacancies of upper division clerks, Rs 3 lakh from those selected for 80 vacancies of lower division clerks and Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh from those selected for 60 vacancies of junior engineers.

An investigator said that despite the district administration cancelling the recruitment, the selected candidates are still undergoing training at a vocational institute in Guwahati.