One day after former Assam Police Director-General Shankar Barua shot himself dead following alleged involvement in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, the police have seized two licensed revolvers from his residence, one of which is believed to be the weapon with which he had killed himself. Confirming this, Guwahati City SSP AP Tiwari said the investigating teams – of the CID, FSL and the police – had carried out necessary preliminary investigations including collecting fingerprints and one used cartridge of a .32-bore revolver, as also obtaining photographic and videographic records of the place of occurrence. ALSO READ: Days after CBI raid, ex-DGP of Assam kills self Barua, who had reportedly suffered from mental depression since the CBI searched his house and examined his bank accounts and locker on August 28 here in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, had committed suicide by shooting himself in his residence at Uzanbazar here on Wednesday afternoon. A 1974-batch IPS officer who had served as Assam DGP from July 2009 to January 2012, it was during his tenure that Saradha had carried out most of its chit fund and other activities in Assam. There have been unfounded allegations that Saradha had received undue police protection to conduct its business in Assam. The City SSP said the police have seized two licensed revolvers from Barua’s residence, one of which had five live cartridges loaded in it. It is this .32 revolver that Barua is believed to have used to kill himself. The police however were yet to examine Barua’s family members in view of the tragic circumstances and mourning. Interestingly, Barua, who had been admitted to a hospital four days ago for some illness, was released only at around 11:30 am on Wednesday. He first went to the nearest bank where he reportedly changed nominees in his accounts, and then shot himself at around 12:30 PM. Though Barua had a PSO from the state police, the person was not close to him when the incident occurred. The former DGP, who was himself a reputed musician and singer, was close to well-known Guwahati-based filmmaker and singer Sadananda Gogoi who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scandal in Kolkata on September 12. Gogoi had allegedly taken Sudipta Sen close to several influential persons in Assam, with the list of names reportedly also including that of the former DGP. Shankar Barua was among five persons whose houses were searched by the CBI connection with the Saradha chit fund scandal on August 28. The others included former Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, senior Congress MLA Anjan Dutta, managing director of the now defunct Frontier TV Manoranjana Sinh, and filmmaker and singer Sadananda Gogoi.
