Assam: IAS officer Sewali Devi, son-in-law arrested from Rajasthan hotel in connection with Rs 105 crore fund embezzlement case

In a major development, suspended IAS officer Sewali Devi Sharma and her contractor son-in-law Ajit Pal Singh, who were on the run following the unearthing of the Rs 105 crore funds embezzlement case, have been finally arrested in Rajasthan’s Cross Lane hotel on May 8.

As per reports, the suspended IAS officer along with her son-in-law (Ajit Pal Singh) who is a contractor by profession, embezzled Rs 105 crore without showing any work orders.

Sewali Devi allegedly opened a fake institution to siphon off the money and allegedly constructed a smart classroom with Rs 13 crore, which even failed to meet basic requirements. 

Apart from the duo, two others have also been arrested by CM’s vigilance cell, following which the accused will be produced before a local court in Rajasthan. The arrested persons will be then brought to Guwahati in transit remand and carry forward with the ongoing investigation into the multi-crore scam.

During her stint from 2017- 2020 as Executive Chairman and Director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Sewali Devi created five bank accounts without the consent of the Government of Assam.
Authorities are also questioning many additional education officers and personnel wherein four other officials are also been cornered off.

Apart from the duo, NL Sonowal, Jaichandra Lashkar, Ramijuddin Ahmed and fourth-grade employee, Rubul Ali has been allegedly involved in the over Rs 100 crore scam.

The inquiry which is still underway is likely to offer further insight into the nature of the misappropriation and the extent to which other persons were involved.

The Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell is taking this problem very seriously and has vowed to go to any length to find the truth. The authorities are resolved to bring accountable all individuals guilty of embezzlement.

It is worth mentioning that Sewali Devi Sharma was suspended from her employment as an IAS official in relation to this matter some weeks ago. The suspension demonstrated that the authorities were taking the problem seriously and were keen to find out what was going on.

Also read : Assam: IAS officer Sewali Devi allegedly siphoned Rs 105 crore government funds, likely to be arrested