Another Scam Surfaces Against Suspended IAS Officer Abhishek Chandra: WB STF Statement Links Tripura’s G20 6 Crores Contract Scam
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, October 22, 2026
Another Serious allegations have surfaced against Tripura-cadre IAS officer Abhishek Chandra over a contract allegedly awarded without a tender for work connected with the G20 Summit in Tripura. Tripura hosted a G20 Science 20 (S20) conference on "Clean Energy for Greener Future" from April 3 to 4, 2023, at the Hapania International Fair Ground in Agartala. Around 75 international and national delegates attended the landmark event.
According to a statement given by Dharmanagar-based contractor Sudip Paul to investigators of the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) on August 30, 2025, Chandra allegedly arranged a G20-related contract through Tripura Small Industries and subsequently received Rs 90 lakh from the profits generated by the work.
The allegations raise serious questions about public procurement, the handling of G20-related expenditure, the alleged use of private financial arrangements to transfer money, and the administrative response to complaints involving a senior government officer.
Chandra was one of the key team members associated with the organisation of the G20 Summit-related activities in Tripura, according to the account provided for this report.
In his statement recorded under Section 180 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), in connection with Penro Police Station Case No. 07/25 dated January 13, 2025, Sudip Paul alleged that his association with then North Tripura District Magistrate Abhishek Chandra began during Chandra's district-level posting.
Paul stated that he had been involved in contracting and vehicle-related businesses since 2016. He claimed that his professional association with Chandra developed after he accompanied a project manager associated with Hyderabad-based KMC to the District Magistrate's office in North Tripura.
According to Paul, Chandra subsequently proposed that he undertake work connected with the G20 programme. Paul alleged that the contract was arranged through Tripura Small Industries by obtaining a quotation, without following an open tender process.
The amount allocated for the work, according to his statement, was Rs 6 crore.
Paul further alleged that an oral understanding was reached under which 50 per cent of the profit generated from the work would be paid to Chandra.
The most serious allegation in the statement concerns the alleged sharing of profits from 6 Crores contract of the G20-related work.
Paul claimed that he undertook the 6 Crores contract work jointly with his relative Dipankar Dey and that the venture generated a profit of Rs 1.80 crore. According to his account, he paid Rs 90 lakh to Chandra, representing 50 per cent of the alleged profit.
Paul further alleged that the money was not transferred directly to Chandra's bank account. Instead, he claimed that an arrangement involving a rental agreement between his wife, Krishna Chakraborty, and Chandra's mother, Mugdhala Devi, was used.
According to the witness, the agreement stipulated monthly rent of Rs 11 lakh for a property that he and his wife had never personally seen. He alleged that neither he nor his wife conducted any business from the property, but that, acting on Chandra's instructions, his wife's bank account transferred a total of Rs 2.28 crore to Mugdhala Devi's account.
During the West Bengal STF interrogation, Paul stated that his association with Chandra began during the latter's posting as District Magistrate of North Tripura. He said he was introduced to the officer through Anowal Sad, whom he described as a project manager associated with KMC.
According to the statement, Paul subsequently approached Chandra for contracting opportunities. The witness alleged that the G20-related work was among the first major assignments facilitated through this relationship.
The statement places the alleged transactions against the background of Paul's contracting activities and his subsequent involvement in other government-related business arrangements.
Paul's statement also contains allegations concerning a separate arrangement involving mid-day meal supplies under Tripura's Directorate of Higher Education.
According to the witness, Chandra and another individual, identified in the statement as Uppal Kumar Chowdhury, encouraged him to invest in a mid-day meal tender. Paul alleged that he was told that his role would be to provide investment while the other parties would arrange the supply of rice, pulses and other materials.
Paul claimed that he was introduced to Manish Malani, described in the statement as a business partner associated with SK Sales Corporation, whose proprietor was identified as Satish Mohan Lavate. He alleged that a joint business agreement was subsequently executed between SK Sales Corporation and his wife, Krishna Chakraborty.
According to the statement, money was credited to his wife's account by the Directorate of Higher Education, after which payments were made to business associates. Paul stated that Rs 1.03 crore was credited to his wife's account on October 24, 2024, and that Rs 25 lakh was transferred on October 28, 2024, to an account in the name of Manjushree Devi in Kolkata, as part of the alleged profit-sharing arrangement.
Paul also alleged that Chandra had an understanding with him regarding a share of the profits from the arrangement. He further claimed that he introduced other prospective investors, including Dipak De and Shubhajit Deb, who allegedly invested substantial amounts but did not recover all their money.
The witness subsequently alleged that he learned of the arrest of Uppal Kumar Chowdhury by the West Bengal STF in connection with the matter. He claimed that when he approached Chandra over the outstanding payments, he received assurances initially and later faced pressure and intimidation.
Paul ultimately alleged that the supposed business transactions had existed only on paper and that no genuine underlying business had taken place.
more news...