Vigilance team raids scam accused home

Vigilance and anti-corruption officials carry a trunk recovered from Khan’s residence at Tarun Nagar in Guwahati after the raid on Thursday. Picture by UB Photos

Guwahati, Aug 3 : Vigilance and anti-corruption officials today raided the house of Redaul Hussain Khan, a prime accused in the multi-crore scam in the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, in connection with a disproportionate assets case registered against him.

Khan, who is currently in judicial custody, was the deputy director of the social welfare department in Dima Hasao district.

A team of officials of the vigilance and anti-corruption branch of Assam police, led by the investigating officer, deputy superintendent of police Karuna Bordoloi, conducted searches at Khan’s residence at Bylane number 2 in Tarun Nagar.

The raid, which started around 8.30am, continued for more than five hours.

“Today’s raid was conducted in connection with a disproportionate assets case registered against Khan. This was done on the strength of a search warrant issued by the special court, Assam,” superintendent of police (vigilance and anti-corruption) Rounak Ali Hazarika said.

The special court issued the search warrant on July 30 this year.

The vigilance and anti-corruption branch registered the assets case (number 6/12) on May 25 this year on directions from the state government.

The case was registered against Khan under Sections 13 (1) (e) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

An official source told The Telegraph that according to information available with the vigilance and anti-corruption sleuths, the total worth of Khan’s movable and immovable property would be more than Rs 14 crore, besides cash amounting to Rs 13.45 crore, which is grossly disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to the source, the vigilance and anti-corruption branch has asked the government to provide the salary slips of Khan from the date of the beginning of his service in order to ascertain his lawful income.

He said documents related to Khan’s bank accounts and his movable and immovable properties, apart from gold jewellery and other valuable items, were recovered during the raids.

“Now we will do the valuation though a government approved valuer to calculate the total worth of his assets,” the source said.

Khan — known as an influential bureaucrat of Dima Hasao district who allegedly mastered the art of siphoning off government funds — was arrested in 2009 and has been in jail since then.

He was chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency for allegedly diverting government funds to the coffers of militant outfits.

Khan was also chargesheeted by the CBI in separate cases registered by the agency for corruption and misappropriation of public money.

In December last year, the CBI had asked the state government to take appropriate action against Khan after the agency found that he owned assets disproportionate to his known source of income.

On June 16, 2010, the CBI had also recovered Rs 13.45 crore from a secret chamber constructed in the garage of Khan’s brother-in-law in the city.

The CBI believes that Khan hid the money, which is a part of the amount siphoned off by him from the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council.

This recovery had created a sensation.

“The vigilance and anti-corruption branch is likely to file a report in the special court on August 8 in connection with today’s raid,” the source said.