CBI attaches assets worth Rs 53 crore of former Assam Police DIG in disproportionate assets case

In a major action against alleged corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has attached properties worth approximately Rs 53 crore belonging to former Assam Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Prashanta Kumar Dutta in connection with a disproportionate assets case.

According to the investigating agency, the attached assets were allegedly accumulated between 1992 and 2019 during Dutta’s tenure in government service and are suspected to be disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The properties attached by the CBI include multiple hotel establishments in Guwahati — Hotel Bhargav and Bhargav Inn in Paltan Bazar, Hotel Bhargav at Lakhra, and Bhargav Grand at Betkuchi in Garchuk. The agency has also attached two high-value buildings located in Mumbai.

The CBI stated that the action forms part of its ongoing investigation into allegations that Dutta amassed wealth beyond legitimate income sources while serving in the police department.

Prashanta Kumar Dutta had earlier emerged as the prime accused in the Assam Police Sub-Inspector Recruitment Question Paper Leak case, one of the most significant recruitment-related controversies in the state.

Following the allegations, Dutta was dismissed from service. In October 2020, he was arrested by the West Bengal Police near the Indo–Nepal border after reportedly remaining absconding for several months.

The latest attachment of assets marks another significant development in the investigation as central agencies continue efforts to trace and secure properties allegedly linked to corruption and pursue legal proceedings in the case.