BackFormer Assam DGP Shankar Barua commits suicide
Shankar Barua's premises were searched by CBI in connection with Saradha scam last month
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Guwahati: Former Assam director-general of police Shankar Barua, whose premises were searched by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Saradha scam last month, allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence on Wednesday.
Guwahati senior superintendent of police A.P. Tiwari said that Barua was rushed to a local nursing home at around 12pm and was declared dead there. “Barua is no more. We are investigating. We cannot say anything now. Only after the investigation we can talk about details," Tiwari said.
The body of Barua, who is said to have shot himself in the head, has been sent for post-mortem. People in his family said that Barua had slipped into depression after his name was allegedly linked to the Saradha scam.
Barua was undergoing treatment in a local hospital after he had complained of chest pain last week. He was discharged this morning. “He came home and within half an hour he went to the terrace and shot himself with a pistol. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital by family members," they said.
Non-stop coverage by television channels relating to him had upset the former director-general, the family said. A CBI spokesperson in Delhi said that Barua was neither examined by CBI nor was he summoned. Barua’s name was linked with the scam after an employee of Saradha’s media house in Guwahati alleged last year that he had provided “protection" to them in Assam which was arranged by singer and film maker Sadananda Gogoi on behalf of the group.
Gogoi was taken to Kolkata by CBI for further questioning and was subsequently arrested on 12 September.
CBI had conducted searches in 12 premises on 28 August in connection with the multi-crore Ponzi scam which included the residences of two former Assam ministers.
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