Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on November 2 informed that police official Gabriel K. Iangrai will be suspended following his arrest for his alleged involvement in a vehicle scam.
Speaking to reporters, Tynsong said, “The official procedure is there, ultimately we have no option, once he has been arrested, we have to go for suspension and ultimately the law will proceed further till the final conclusion is arrived at, then we will see what is to be done.”
He refused to comment much as he said that the government will be guided by the law and accordingly the law will take its own course.
Commenting on the demand to have a CBI or a central government agency probe the alleged scam, Tynsong said that action has been taken by the concerned department by arresting him and the next procedures are also in place.
“Let the law enforcement agency take care of everything. Now this issue is also there in the High Court, where I think everything will be there in black and white and there will be transparency,” Tynsong added.
Meghalaya Assistant Inspector General of Police and commandant of Special Force 10, Gabriel K. Iangrai was on November 2 arrested by the CID under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly misappropriating funds to the tune of Rs 3 crore. The arrest was confirmed by Superintendent of Police (SP) East Khasi Hills, Vivek Syiem.
It may be mentioned that the fact-finding team of the police headed by Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) MK Singh said that a total of 29 vehicles were in personal custody of AIG A, Iangrai, before April 2022 without any orders from the competent authority.
Police officials said that he has been arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds from the construction work of the National Emergency Response System (NERS) building at Sadar police station.
Officials informed that the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the CID found evidence clearly linking the senior police official with corruption.
“Some of the fund was diverted by him into his personal account,” a senior police official said.
Meanwhile, the investigating team are conducting searches in the properties of the police official to gather more evidence.
It may be mentioned that the recent vehicle ‘scam’, which came to light following an inquiry report highlighting irregularities in the office of Assistant Inspector-General of Police (A) Gabriel K Iangrai, has brought out a series of anomalies in the Home Department.
The report, which highlighted Iangrai’s alleged misuse of authority where he kept 29 official vehicles in personal custody, brought to light financial oversight of the Home Department where officials failed to cross-check the record of sanctions for purchase of vehicles due to which irregularities in the office of the AIG (A) went largely unchecked.