IPS officer Mayank Sheel Chauhan, who went missing on his way to Tawang from Itanagar on Tuesday, surfaced at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday.
Disclosing that Mr Chauhan himself contacted Arunachal Pradesh police on Sunday, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that Mr Chauhan claimed to have been suffering from “depression” since he was released from special investigation cell.
Security sources said that Mr Chauhan told the Arunachal police that he took lift from many private trucks on his way to New Delhi from Bhalukpong.
However, security agencies are yet to believe his claims as confession of his support staffs in SIC has revealed that Mr Chauhan, with his three constables, had shifted his belongings to New Delhi on October 2 in a private truck.
According to confession of the Arunachal police constable who accompanied him to New Delhi, Mr Chauhan himself travelled in the truck, which started its journey from Itangar on October 2. During his journey by truck, Mr Chauhan spent his first night in a guesthouse at Kokrajhar in Assam, but next night he spent in the truck itself at Arrah in Bihar. Pointing out that his support staff were surprised by Mr Chauhan’s decision of travelling in truck, security sources said, “Mr Chauhan, after unloading his belongings at his home in New Delhi, came back to Itanagar where he was meeting many people and visited Itanagar branch of SBI a day before he went missing.”
Admitting that Mr Chauhan has not committed any offence if his statements are to be believed, security sources, however, said, “It was not as simple as Mr Chauhan was intending to present. We are also examining many facts relating his mysterious movements and meetings in Itanagar.”
Mr Chauhan, who was heading the special investigation cell (SIC), had chargesheeted 56 people, including two ministers, Congress MLAs, brother of Congress MP Sanjay Takam, former BJP MLA from Assam Kartik Sen Sinha and senior officers of the Food Corporation of India in `1,000-crore PDS scam.
Mr Chauhan was released from SIC on October 10, following an instruction of home ministry which directed the state to release him.