Guwahati, Jan. 27: The CBI is set to chargesheet those involved in the Rs 16.5 crore 3rd Assam Police Battalion salary scam that was unearthed in 2006. Highly-placed sources said the CBI had an “airtight” case against the accused police and finance department officials involved in the fraudulent withdrawal of salary in excess of police personnel posted at the Titabor-based battalion, which had gone undetected for over a decade.

They added that Arun Bothra, the deputy inspector-general and head of the CBI’s Economic Offence Wing, Calcutta, was handling the case.

“The CBI has readied the chargesheet against the accused. It is now just a matter of time after the state government accepted the CBI’s request seeking sanction for prosecution of suspended official Krishna Das under Section 19 1B of the Prevention of Corruption Act early this month. Since the case is airtight, there was no question of delaying. Moreover, why would Dispur want to be seen as shielding the corrupt, more so in an election year?” one of them said. The scam, which took place between 1994 and 2006, came to light after a dismissed constable revealed his provident fund was being deposited regularly even after he had stopped getting his salary.

The battalion lodged a complaint with the Titabor police. The state CID has nailed the accused in its report before the CBI took up the case. It had detected the alleged misappropriation of around Rs 96 lakh during Das’s tenure as commandant of the 3rd APBn.

Retired police officials Indra Gogoi and B.R. Das, along with three finance department officials, emerged as the key players in the scam.

The CBI is also probing a similar salary scam related to the 10th APBn but has not sought any prosecution so far.

The amount involved, according to the government, was also over Rs 15 crore. The scam reflected that a section of personnel from the police and finance department were involved in the fraudulent withdrawal of salary — right from the preparation, passing and payment of the salary bills.

A after the scam was detected, the government had tried to put in checks and balances to prevent a repeat.

A CID report on the 10 APBn scam tabled in the Assembly in 2008 said, “A prima facie case is established for investigation into the misappropriation of Rs 15,85,92,732.00 during 2001-02 and 2002-03 in the 10th Assam Police Battalion, Kahilipara.”