The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested Ashok Saikia, the eldest son of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, in a bank loan default case.
Before being arrested, Ashok Saikia told reporters, “The politically motivated case was registered in 1996. I’ve paid the loan and received acknowledgment. I’ll submit it in court.”
Businessman Ashok Saikia was arrested after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by the local court for failing to appear despite being summoned. Earlier, he was questioned by the CBI’s Guwahati team in the case.
His elder brother Debabrata Saikia was quoted in a PTI report as saying that Ashok was taken away by CBI officials on Sunday evening. Debabrata Saikia is the Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly and belongs to the Congress party.
The alleged loan default case pertains to a loan of around Rs 9 lakh taken from the Assam State Co-operative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Ltd (ASCARD) by Ashok Saikia.
The case was first filed in 1998 and the CBI initiated its investigation by registering a case in 2001.
