What better way to convince someone that you have powerful connections than putting them on a call with the state's Chief Minister? In this case, however, the voice on the other end of the phone allegedly belonged to a mimicry artist rather than the Chief Minister himself.
A senior Assam bureaucrat arrested in a corruption case allegedly employed a mimic to impersonate Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other senior bureaucrats over phone calls, allegedly convincing people that he could arrange government jobs and contracts for them.
Debeswar Bora, Development Commissioner of Dhemaji district and a 1999-batch Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer, was arrested by the Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell for alleged criminal misconduct, misuse of his official position and possession of undisclosed assets. According to The Hindu, the arrest followed searches in Dhemaji and Guwahati and subsequent questioning of the officer.
Bora's arrest came a day after a nine-member vigilance team searched his official residence in Dhemaji as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities and assets suspected to be disproportionate to his known sources of income. India Today NE had reported on Monday that the probe began following a complaint filed by a doctor and was connected to alleged irregularities during Bora's tenure as Joint Secretary in the Medical Education and Research Department.
According to his official Assam government service record, Bora served as Joint Secretary in the state's Medical Education and Research Department from June 20, 2022, to July 10, 2025. He subsequently became Dhemaji District Development Commissioner.
'HIMANTA' AND TOP ASSAM BABUS ON THE PHONE
The investigation in Dhemaji has reportedly brought another set of allegations against Bora to light. He allegedly collected money from individuals by promising to arrange government jobs and contracts. The Hindu reported that his alleged operation involved a middleman who was skilled at imitating different voices.
The mimic allegedly called people seeking jobs or contracts and posed as Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota and other senior officials. The calls were reportedly intended to make people believe that Bora had direct access to the highest levels of the state government and could use those connections to get their work done.
The alleged scheme reportedly came to light after Bora interacted with a politician-businessman in Dhemaji.
Investigators are also examining properties allegedly connected to Bora. Preliminary information cited by India Today NE indicated that properties in Guwahati and Lakhimpur had come under scrutiny, including some reportedly held in the names of his wife and other family members.
27 YEARS IN SERVICE, BORA FACED SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS IN KOKRAJHAR
In November 2020, while serving as Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar, Bora was accused by a 32-year-old woman of attempting to rape her and using inappropriate language. She had filed an FIR alleging that he called her to his residence in connection with an official matter involving land.
Bora joined the Assam Civil Service in 1999, according to his official government biodata. An MA in Economics, he has held several positions across districts and departments during a career spanning more than 27 years.
Before becoming Dhemaji District Development Commissioner in July 2025, Bora served as Joint Secretary in the Medical Education and Research Department from June 2022. His previous postings included Additional Deputy Commissioner in Udalguri, Kokrajhar and Baksa, along with assignments as Circle Officer and Election Officer.
Kokrajhar police had registered a case under Sections 354 and 354A of the IPC, according to an India Today NE report published at the time. Bora later filed a counter-FIR against the woman. Those allegations are separate from the current investigation.
The investigation into Bora initially focused on allegations of disproportionate assets but has since widened to include an alleged cash-for-jobs-and-contracts operation. The promises may have involved genuine government deals, but the powerful voices allegedly used to lend credibility to them were not real.
