Congress MLA Rumi Nath arrested for links to nationwide car theft racket

Congress MLA Rumi Nath was arrested on Tuesday in connection with her alleged links with a pan-India car theft racket.

"We have arrested her from the MLA hostel around 7 am. At present, she has been kept at Dispur police station. During the day, we'll produce her in court and seek police remand," Assistant Commissioner of Police Suprotive Lal Barua said.

 She was arrested in connection with her alleged "links with a car theft gang" under sections 120(B), 420, 212 of the Indian Penal Code, which stands for criminal conspiracy, cheating and harbouring offender, he said.

On Monday, the Congress MLA had appeared before the press and said that she was not absconding. "I am not absconding. I am innocent. Seeking anticipatory bail does not mean, I am guilty. If I am proved guilty, I am ready to go to prison", she had said at the press conference.

Earlier, the Gauhati high court had rejected her two anticipatory bail applications in connection with a case registered at Dispur police station and another at Azara police station. She had filed for anticipatory bail on April 9 following the arrest of her estranged second husband Jacky Zakir.

Zakir was arrested on April 8 from his house in Badarpur in Karimganj district, while Nath's Personal Security Officer Bedabrata Barpatra Gohain was caught from the special branch headquarters in the state capital.

During investigations, it was found that the alleged car theft gang leader Anil Chauhan, who was arrested by the Guwahati police and was wanted in a number of cases in Delhi and Mumbai besides other states, was issued Assam assembly car passes on the recommendation of Nath.

Following this, the assembly secretariat issued a notice asking her to explain why she recommended issuance of car passes to the alleged car lifter, to which Nath responded by saying that she had signed the car pass application form of Chauhan's wife who is a Congress worker.

"I have no connection with Chauhan, but only know his wife who was also a Congress worker. This is just a political conspiracy to defame me... I have full faith in the law of the land and will cooperate with the police at every step," Nath had said on Monday.

Assam Congress President Anjan Dutta too issued a showcause notice to Nath for her alleged involvement with the notorious car lifter.

The controversial MLA had married Zakir in 2012 by converting to Islam and without divorcing her first husband. The duo was subsequently assaulted by a mob at a Karimganj hotel in July 2012. They parted ways last year and are living separately since then.

Image: Congress MLA Rumi Nath