Guwahati, Sept 26: shim Kumar Das, secretary of the Assam BJP’s SC Morcha, and two others have been arrested for allegedly duping several companies of nearly Rs 8 crore by issuing fake government work orders, police said on Wednesday.

Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Barah stated that the accused used a modus operandi of showing fake work orders and convincing businessmen to participate in supply contracts.

Das, along with Birinchi Borkotoki and Niranjan Das, was arrested from Guwahati on Tuesday. Another accomplice, Deba Prakash Bhagawati, has already been arrested by the CID in a separate fraud case.

Borkotoki, a retired publicity officer, posed as B N Sarma, joint secretary for ‘Adivasi Welfare & Development Council’, while Niranjan Das acted as a broker, arranging entry passes for meetings with representatives of the duped companies.

The gang allegedly duped Noida-based Prontastic IT (Pvt) Ltd. of Rs 4 crore and Bengaluru-based Manpho Exports of Rs 3.77 crore by issuing fake work orders.

Das, part of a seven-member gang, posed as a representative of ‘Adivasi Welfare and Development Council’. The police have seized documents, established the work orders as fake, and analyzed bank transactions.

Barah noted that there is every likelihood that the accused have cheated many more businessmen using the same tactics, and further investigation is ongoing.

Das’s arrest has raised eyebrows due to his close ties with several ministers and senior leaders, including state party chief Bhabesh Kalita.