Former Tripura chief engineer arrested over Rs 600cr PWD scam

The Tripura Police on Monday arrested a former chief engineer of the state Public Works Department (PWD) for alleged involvement in financial irregularities amounting to Rs 600 crore.

West Tripura district SP Ajit Pratap Singh said former PWD engineer-in-chief Sunil Bhowmik was taken into custody while arrest warrants were issued against former PWD minister Badal Choudhury and former chief secretary Yashpal Singh.

"The action was based on an FIR lodged by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) with the West Agartala police station on Sunday evening in which the agency accused the trio of being involved in a financial scam of Rs 600 crore in PWD projects between 2008 and 2009," the SP said.

The trio has been charged with fraudulence, corruption, criminal breach of trust and suppression of evidence, he said.

Meanwhile, state CPI(M) secretary Gautam Das said the BJP-IPFT government framed Chowdhury in the case.

"It is a result of a political vendetta and we would fight the case in the court and also launch a movement on the streets against it," he said.

Meanwhile, Chowdhury filed a petition for an anticipatory bail in the court of District Judge, West district, Sabyasachi Purkayastha.

The judgment is yet to be pronounced.