A Tripura District Forest Officer is under investigation after a large cash seizure involving a relative at Agartala railway station, prompting a raid on his residence and raising corruption concerns.
Key Points
- Tripura District Forest Officer Gaurav Ravindra Wagh is under investigation following the recovery of a large sum of cash.
- A relative of the DFO was found with Rs 59.95 lakh at Agartala railway station.
- The relative was arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act after failing to explain the source of the money.
- A raid was conducted at the DFO's residence, and documents, CCTV footage, a laptop, and a drone camera were seized.
- The DFO has been asked to report to the Forest department headquarters to ensure an impartial probe.
A team of Crime Branch on Saturday carried out a raid in the official residence of District Forest Officer (DFO), South Tripura, Gaurav Ravindra Wagh, in connection with the recovery of Rs 59.95 lakh in cash at Agartala railway station on April 23, an official said.
Police seized some documents, CCTV footage, one laptop and a drone camera from the DFO's residence as part of the investigation.
Cash Recovery at Agartala Railway Station
"During routine checking at Agartala Railway station on April 23, Rajendra Chintaman Kaklij, a Mumbai-based relative of the DFO, was found with Rs 59.94 lakh in cash and was taken to Agartala GRP police station for interrogation," Officer in Charge (OC) of the police station, Raju Bhowmik told PTI.
The OC said that as Rajendra failed to explain the source of the money and intended use of the cash, he was arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act and various sections under BNS and was produced before a court, which granted him police custody for five days.
Investigation and Further Actions
According to Bhowmik, the person who was arrested for carrying the huge amount of cash used the DFO's official vehicle to reach the Agartala railway station from Belonia in South Tripura.
"Sensing the gravity of the crime, the case has been handed over to the Crime Branch for proper investigation (on Saturday). A team conducted a raid in the official residence of the DFO at Belonia and seized some documents, CCTV footage, a laptop and a drone camera as part of the investigation," he said.
DFO Asked to Report to Headquarters
Meanwhile, the DFO has been asked to report to Aryana Bhavan (headquarters of the Forest department) to ensure an impartial probe into the huge cash recovery case.
