Guwahati: A senior Assam government officer has been arrested for allegedly employing mimicry artists to imitate the voices of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota and other high-ranking officials, convincing victims he could secure government contracts and jobs.
Debeswar Bora, the accused, was taken into custody by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell in a multi-crore cheating and corruption case.
The case came to light after a businessman approached the vigilance agency on May 30, alleging he had been cheated of ₹10 lakh on the promise of a government contract.
Rosie Kalita, a senior officer with the cell, told NDTV: “The matter was reported by a businessman who approached the agency on May 30, alleging that he had been cheated of Rs 10 lakh on the promise of a government contract.”
The victim told investigators that Bora first demanded ₹10 lakh for the contract and later asked for another ₹40 lakh. “When the businessman became suspicious, he refused to pay more and asked for a refund of his Rs 10 lakh,” Kalita said.
Probe teams traced the bank account where the money was deposited and found it was allegedly linked to a business house in Arunachal Pradesh. Owners of two firms — KK Enterprise and DB Enterprise — also told investigators they had been cheated of around ₹2.5 crore on promises of government contracts.
The investigation eventually uncovered the mimicry operation. “He would make calls in front of them – purportedly to senior government functionaries. From the other end, a mimicry artist or members of his team replied,” Kalita said.
“The victims were convinced. They thought he was actually contacting senior government functionaries,” she added.
During the probe, the Vigilance Cell recovered around 18 SIM cards; only one of the nine SIMs found on the accused was registered in his name. “These SIM cards were brought from several third parties so he could misuse his official position and avoid detection,” Kalita said.
The alleged impersonation of the Chief Minister has added a serious legal dimension. “Impersonating a Chief Minister is a very dangerous crime,” she said.
“We recovered several incriminating documents. I cannot divulge the details now because the investigation is ongoing,” Kalita said.
Chartered accountants are now assisting investigators in examining the financial transactions. “It is a very large amount. It has gone beyond crores. We are calculating everything,” Kalita said.
Bora, the Dhemaji District’s Development Commissioner and a 1999-batch Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer, was arrested in Dhemaji, produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, and then brought to Guwahati on transit remand before being handed over to police for four days of custody. In parallel, search teams raided his two residences—in Dhemaji and Guwahati — as well as his office in Dhemaji, where they seized several documents.
“We have arrested only the prime accused, that is Debeswar Bora, and we will do everything possible,” Kalita said. The Vigilance Cell has also received complaints from outside Assam. “There were several calls from other states as well. They say they will be coming with all the documents,” Kalita said.