Krishna Das being produced in court on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, April 29: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) last night arrested senior police officer Krishna Das in connection with the Rs 16.5-crore salary scam in the 3rd Assam Police Battalion.

Das, who had been absconding since February this year, was picked up from the Zoo Road area last night.

He was produced before the court of the chief judicial magistrate in Jorhat today and remanded to seven days in police custody.

Sources in the CID said a misappropriation of around Rs 98 lakh took place when Das served as commander of the Titabor-based 3rd Assam Police Battalion between February and May 2006.

Das was serving as a commander of another battalion when a non-bailable warrant was issued against him last year. He managed to procure an interim bail from the Supreme Court till February 11 this year. He was absconding since then.

Das had earlier served as the Nagaon superintendent of police. Altogether 14 people have been arrested so far in connection with the salary scam in the 3rd battalion. The arrested include two SPs, Indra Gogoi and Bijoy Ranjan Das, two additional SPs and two deputy SPs.

The newly formed Police Accountability Commission has also asked for a detailed report from the police headquarters regarding the scam. The commission may register a case in this regard.

The Opposition parties had demanded a CBI probe into the scam during the Assembly session. Dispur, however, turned down the demand saying the CID was doing a commendable job and had already arrested 13 people in connection with the scam, which took place between 1994 and 2006.

The scam surfaced in 2006 after a constable complained that though he was debarred from receiving his salary for three months for being absent from duty — also the reason for his dismissal — his general provident fund for those months had been deposited.

The battalion lodged a complaint with Titabor police.

CBI sources said the main accused, Dadul Bora, who served as the accountant of the 3rd APBn, allegedly took the names of several senior police officials of the state who were associated with the scam.