Chopper ‘promise’ crashes
Guwahati, March 28: The much-touted chopper
service within Assam and outside has hit an air pocket
with police today arresting the company’s director on
charges of cheating even before a single flight could
take off.
City police arrested Monosijj Roy from Odalbakra here
early today following a complaint filed by the Dima
Hasao Autonomous Council against the company,
Rudra Infrastructure and Logistics, alleging that it had
failed to keep its commitment.
The company had allegedly already taken Rs 4 lakh
from the council for the venture, police sources said.
Roy, who was produced in court later in the day, was remanded in judicial custody. The
police had sought his remand for five days for further interrogation but it was denied.
According to the sources, Dima Hasao Autonomous Council chief executive member
Debojit Thousen and some executive members were to fly to Haflong from Guwahati on
March 25.
“They waited at the airport, but no helicopter turned up,” a police official said, adding that
subsequently, the council lodged a complaint with the Azara police station. The police
then registered a case against Roy.
“Roy was also absconding for the past couple of days, but we tracked him down today and
arrested him,” the official said.
According to the official, Roy had stated that the company had entered into an agreement
with Air Deccan for leasing the latter's helicopters but that these were not delivered. “We
are checking the veracity of his claim with Air Deccan,” the official said, adding,
“Seemingly, the company did not have a proper business plan in place.”
He said Roy had been booked under Section 420 of the IPC. “We may add other sections
depending on what our investigation throws up,” he added.
Thousen described the entire development as a bitter experience. “We reached the airport
happy that now people of Haflong would have an alternative mode of transport. But there
was no helicopter, and nobody from the company told us anything,” he said
Monosijj Roy after his arrest at
Odalbakra in Guwahati on
Wednesday.