KL Report
SRINAGAR
After being censured by the High Court for its slow action, the Crime Branch has arrested three out of 17 absconders wanted in Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) paper leak scam.
Sources said that out of the three arrested, one had surrendered after his property was confiscated. All the three accused are now under judicial custody in central Jail Srinagar. Sources told KNS that two out of three accused now in central jail are senior officers in the forest department while as the third is assistant executive engineer. “These three arrested officers had purchased papers for their wards and were wanted in the matter,” a senior officer in the crime branch told KNS.
Sources in the court identified the three accused who are now in central jail as DFO Mohammad Amin, DFO Altaf Shah and AEE Mushtaq Ahmad Dar. On May 23, the high court had reprimanded the Crime Branch for its slow pace in arresting the absconders.
So far the Crime Branch has produced charge sheet against 45 accused including the former BOPEE chairman Mushtaq Ahmad Baqaal, alias Pir in the matter. Some parents and their wards have also been booked for securing admission through fraudulent means. Last month, the high court which is monitoring the investigations directed: “…all the codal provisions should be pressed into service to arrest these 17 absconders by tightening the noose so that the society at large may feel that justice is been done to those who are law abiding.”
Javed Geelani, IGP said: “We are trying our best to nab as many absconders in the matter as we can. We have formed teams for this job and they are putting in their efforts to arrest the rest of the absconders in the matter.”
Mr Geelani said that the crime branch has attached properties where the court has ordered to do so and in case of student absconders there is no property in their name which could have been attached. The IGP Crime said that the crime branch is investigating the matter but no time frame can be set to conclude its probe. “We are trying our best to collect the evidence available to establish this fraud and it can take some time,” he added.
Pertinently, during the last hearing the court had directed the crime branch to attach property of absconding accused, freeze their bank accounts and their salary. Directions for disciplinary action against the accused were also issued to different departments like Forest, Health, Educational and Power Development Department (PDD). (KNS)
