Rounak Ali Hazarika had joined the Assam Police Service (APS) in 1992. (Representational)
Suspended Assam Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border) Rounak Ali Hazarika was arrested on Tuesday on charges of having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
This came after the Chief Minister's Special Vigilance cell found that Hazarika's assets were "out of sync" with his legal sources of income, an Assam police press release claimed.
The release added that the enquiry instituted after a case was registered against him in June last, found that Hazarika possessed immovable and movable assets which were disproportionate to his known income during the period from 1992 to 2021 while he was posted in Bongaigaon district.
The release said, "The percentage of his disproportionate assets is found to be 164.80 per cent. The inventory memo is being prepared and sufficient corroborative evidences like foreign currencies have been recovered from his residence".
The Assam police claimed its officer had spent some Rs 1,74,12,974 as educational expenditure on his two children till date. "International travel history of Rounak Ali Hazarika, has been collected and it reveals that he had left the country and travelled abroad 9 times without permission from competent authority," the release added.
Apart from salary account in State Bank of India, DIG and his family members have accounts in Axis Bank, Yes Bank, etc., and huge amounts were found to be deposited in cash during the period of 2019-2021.
The Assam police release continued concluded that there was sufficient evidence against Hazarika and said his actions were in contravention to Section 2(c) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2018.
"He being a public servant is in possession of disproportionate assets which is a criminal misconduct under Section 13(1) (b) of the PC (Amendment) Act 2018", it added.
Hazarika "was unable to satisfactorily account for how he could amass the pecuniary resources (cash deposits/ cheque deposits in his bank accounts from unknown sources during the period of 2019-2020) which is disproportionate to his known sources of income", the release added.
Earlier in July this year the IPS officer was suspended for allegedly going abroad on several occasions since 2011 without taking necessary permission of the home department.
Hazarika had joined the Assam Police Service (APS) in 1992 and was later promoted to the IPS cadre.