GUWAHATI: Retired Assam DIG P K Dutta, a prime accused in the police recruitment examination paper leak, was arrested on Wednesday and remanded to police custody for six days.
Dutta, who was absconding since the paper was leaked, was detained at the Kakarbhita International Indo-Nepal border and handed over to Assam police on Tuesday, a police spokesman said.
He was brought to Guwahati Wednesday morning and arrested in connection with the CID police station case against him and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act.
The retired DIG was taken for a medical examination and COVID-19 test.
His antigen test was negative, the spokesman said.
He was later produced at the court of the chief judicial magistrate, where the police appealed for seven days custody.
The court granted six days police remand and Dutta was handed over to CID custody.
The police has so far arrested 34 persons in connection with the scam.
The CID arrested 14 of them and the rest were by the crime branch and Nalbari police.
Dutta, his son and son-in-law were detained at the Indo-Nepal border on the strength of the 'Look Out Circular' issued by Assam CID.
He was absconding along with another accused, the expelled BJP leader Dibon Deka who was arrested on October 1.
The state police had announced of Rs one lakh for information leading to their arrest.
Deka was remanded to five days' custody with the Crime Branch and again to six days in CID custody.
The question paper of the written examination for 597 posts of unarmed sub-inspectors in Assam Police was leaked on September 20 and the State Level Police Recruitment Board cancelled the test minutes after it had commenced across the state on that day.
The Board chairman Pradeep Kumar subsequently resigned on September 27 taking "moral responsibility" for the question paper leak.
The re-examination for the recruitment test has been scheduled for November 22.