Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
What better way to convince someone that you have connections right at the top than getting them on a call with the Chief Minister of the state himself? Except, in this case, the voice allegedly belonged to a mimicry artist, not the Chief Minister.
A senior Assam bureaucrat arrested in a corruption case allegedly used a mimic who impersonated Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and top bureaucrats over phone calls to convince people that he could secure government jobs and contracts for them.
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Debeswar Bora, the Dhemaji District’s Development Commissioner and a 1999-batch Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer, was arrested by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell for alleged criminal misconduct, misuse of his official position and amassing undisclosed assets. The arrest followed searches in Dhemaji and Guwahati and questioning of the officer, according to The Hindu newspaper.
The arrest came a day after a nine-member vigilance team searched Bora’s official residence in Dhemaji as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities and assets suspected to be disproportionate to his known sources of income. India Today NE had reported on Monday that the probe was initiated following a complaint by a doctor and was linked to alleged irregularities during Bora’s tenure as Joint Secretary in the Medical Education and Research Department.
Debeswar Bora was Joint Secretary in Assam’s Medical Education and Research Department from June 20, 2022, to July 10, 2025, according to his official Assam government service record. After that, he took over as Dhemaji District Development Commissioner.
‘HIMANTA’ AND TOP ASSAM BABUS ON THE PHONE
Reports from Dhemaji suggest that the investigation has opened up another line of allegations against the bureaucrat. Bora allegedly collected money from people after promising them government jobs and contracts. According to The Hindu, Bora’s alleged modus operandi involved a middleman who was skilled at mimicking different voices.
The mimic would allegedly speak to job or contract seekers over the phone while posing as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota or other senior officials. The calls were allegedly used to create the impression that Bora had access to the highest levels of the government and could get work done.
The alleged ploy reportedly unravelled after Bora dealt with a politician-businessman in Dhemaji.
Investigators are also examining properties allegedly linked to Bora. Preliminary information cited by India Today NE suggested that properties in Guwahati and Lakhimpur had come under scrutiny, including some reportedly registered in the names of his wife and other family members.
27 YEARS IN SERVICE, BORA FACED SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS IN KOKRAJHAR
In November 2020, when he was serving as Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar, a 32-year-old woman filed an FIR accusing him of attempting to rape her and using inappropriate language after allegedly calling her to his residence over a land-related official matter.
Bora joined the Assam Civil Service in 1999, according to his official Assam government biodata. An MA in Economics, he has served in several districts and departments during a career spanning more than 27 years.
Before taking charge as Dhemaji District Development Commissioner in July 2025, Bora served as Joint Secretary in the Medical Education and Research Department from June 2022. His earlier postings included Additional Deputy Commissioner in Udalguri, Kokrajhar and Baksa, besides stints as Circle Officer and Election Officer.
Kokrajhar police had registered a case under Sections 354 and 354A of the IPC, according to an India Today NE report at the time. Bora subsequently filed a counter-FIR against the woman. The present investigation is separate from those allegations.
The probe on Bora began with allegations of disproportionate assets but has now expanded to an alleged jobs-and-contracts-for-cash operation. The deals were allegedly real, even if the powerful voices on the phone were not.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
