Itanagar, August 27: A Guwahati-based businessman has been arrested for allegedly defrauding local contractors of over Rs 52 lakh in a BSNL mobile tower construction project in Arunachal Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.
The 41-year-old accused, who had been evading authorities for nearly a year, was apprehended in Guwahati through a joint operation by Arunachal Pradesh and Assam police teams, West Siang Superintendent of Police Kardak Riba said.
According to the SP, the businessman secured sub-contracts through his company for building BSNL towers in Aalo and other locations across the state. Contractors reportedly completed civil work for seven towers, but the accused allegedly withheld their payments after receiving full amounts from the primary contractor.
“After collecting the funds, the accused went incommunicado, switched off his phone, and deliberately evaded both the complainants and law enforcement agencies,” Riba said.
The arrest, made on August 25, is being hailed as a major breakthrough, revealing a broader nexus of fraudulent practices in government-linked projects. Preliminary investigations suggest the involvement of the accused’s associates, with similar complaints emerging from Papum Pare, Daporijo, and other districts.
