The CBI has registered a case under Official Secrets Act against an Income Tax officer and the DGM (Planning) of BSNl, Assam for subverting its investigation against the former.
The case has been registered against senior Indian Revenue Service officer Dhrubajyoti Ray, Joint Commissioner Income Tax at Silchar in Assam, Abhijit Das, Deputy General Manager at BSNl in Silchar and Siddhartha Deb Ray, a businessman.
The agency alleged that the Director of CBI through the Superintendent of Police, deployed in CBI in Kolkata, sent letters to the nodal officers of respective service providers for mounting telephonic surveillance of mobile numbers of Dhrubajyoti Ray and other Income Tax officers for purpose of getting actionable inputs on the alleged corrupt activities. The letter was sent after getting necessary permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
During enquiry, the agency found that the request for telephonic surveillance was sent to the General Manager of BSNl in Guwahati on November 11, 2016 through an email.
On receipt of the letter, the General Manager DC Tikader forwarded it to nodal office Vivekananda Nath, Deputy General Manager posted at Telephone Exchange in Guwahati on November 24, 2016. Thereafter, Vivekananda Nath forwarded the mail to Abhijit Das, Deputy General Manager of Planning Department in the BSNl office in Silchar on November 26, 2016.
During enquiry it was found that after receipt of the mail, Abhijit Das made a call from his mobile number to a businessman Siddhartha Deb and asked him to meet him. Thereafter, Abhijit forwarded the letter to PR Chanda, Assistant General Manager BSNl in Silchar and also marked it to the General Manager DC Tikadar.
“When Abhijit met Siddhartha, he willfully leaked the instruction that had come from Director CBI for putting telephonic surveillance in respect to BSNl landline and mobiles of Dhrubajyoti and directed him to warn all the Income Tax sleuths and the persons whose numbers have been sent for surveillance,” said a senior CBI officer.
It was also found that Siddhartha was a contractor of BSNl and doing various works and also was supplying vehicles to Income tax office and knew Dhrubajyoti and other taxmen.
“The information of putting the mobiles and landlines numbers of taxmen were willfully leaked by the BNSl officers in a bid to save these alleged corrupt taxmen,” said the officer. He said when during enquiry it was established teh agency has filed a case against the accused and carrying out investigation into the matter.