Bihar minister held after CBI raids

PATNA, NOV 5: Bihar Road Construction Minister Illiyas Hussain along with five others in the department were arrested by the CBI in conne...

PATNA, NOV 5: Bihar Road Construction Minister Illiyas Hussain along with five others in the department were arrested by the CBI in connection with the multi-crore bitumen scam. The CBI conducted simultaneous raids at 24 places in Bihar and Calcutta, agency sources said. The raids yielded vital information including huge quantity of gold concealed in a locker in Calcutta.

The Rs 200 crore bitumen scam was unearthed in 1995. Since then the CBI has been investigating the scam under the control of the monitoring bench of the Patna High Court.

On October 16, the High Court expressed annoyance at the inaction of the CBI in arresting the accused.

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Among those arrested is also a lady officer of the department, Sobha Sinha. The CBI procured incriminating documents from her flat in Patna. The sources said they may arrest some senior executives of oil companies for their connivance in the scam.

The modus operandi was akin to the fodder scam. Even though the concerned department had not placed the order forbitumen, the scamsters prepared forged vouchers and lifted the consignment from the companies, which was even sent to Nepal. The CBI has also arrested two transporters Shiv Kumar Parikh and K K Kedia from Calcutta, beside Hussain, Sobha Sinha and Vinay Sinha.

The raids were conducted at 10 places in Calcutta, two in Hazaribagh, eight in Patna and three in Rohtas. Even while the CBI descended at the official residence of Hussain to interrogate him, he started burning the documents. Prompt CBI officials put off the fire and seized the papers.

Rabri drops Hussain, Laloo’s bail extended.

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi tonight dropped her Cabinet Minister for Road Construction Iliyas Hussain after his arrest in multi-crore bitumen scam.

NEW DELHI:The supreme Court on Friday extended till January 21 next year the interim bail of former Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and 17 other accused in the Rs 950 crore fodder scam conspiracy cases. A three-judge benchcomprising Justice G T Nanavati, Justice S P Kurdukar and Justice K T Thomas extended the interim bail period as the prosecution had no grievance against the accused having flouted the conditions imposed during the interim bail period.

The RJD’s key face and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav, party supremo Lalu Yadav’s son, will again contest from his stronghold Raghopur.

Amid Mahagathbandhan crisis, RJD unveils list of 143, drops 36 MLAs, focuses on ‘M-Y’

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The RJD, lead player of the Mahagathbandhan, released its full list of 143 candidates for the November Bihar Assembly elections. Its key face Tejashwi Yadav will contest from Raghopur, and 41 sitting MLAs have been renominated. The party has dropped 36 sitting MLAs and fielded young leaders, signaling a bid to consolidate its core Muslim-Yadav vote base. The Congress has fielded 60 candidates.

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