GUWAHATI, Feb 14 - Investigating officer of the cash-for-jobs scam in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), Surjeet Singh Panesar has been threatened of dire consequences by �anonymous callers�.
A case bearing number 182/17 has also been registered in this connection with the Dibrugarh police station after the investigating officer received the call on February 10.
Sources told this reporter that Panesar also received an �intimidating text� from the number. Efforts are on to locate or identify the caller(s).
Police has, however, refused to confirm or deny any militant link to the development stating that it would prefer to buy some time before commenting anything more on the issue of threat call.
The Assam Tribune had recently reported that police has found clues indicating that Rakesh Paul used to make annual payments to banned outfits like the ULFA and the GNLA as �protection money�.
The threat call was made to the investigating officer for the continued investigation against Rakesh Paul, his brother and other co-accused.
Meanwhile, the bail petition of Paul was rejected for the second time by the Gauhati High Court on Monday.
Although senior advocate Niloy Dutta pressed the bail petition reasoning that as the chargesheet has been submitted, there is no question of hampering with the evidence by the accused.
Dutta also made reference to a number of cases of the Supreme Court, including a latest one where Manoranjana Sinh, one of the key accused in the Saradha chit fund scam, was allowed to go on bail.
Special public prosecutor Bijon Kumar Mahajan, however, countered Dutta�s submission, citing several other authorities of the Supreme Court, and argued that the contentions put forward by the defence lawyer deserves no consideration in view of the gravity of the offence the accused has been charged with.
The Court of Justice Rumi Kumari Phukan, after hearing both the sides, and examining the material on record, rejected the bail.
