The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested Satyendra Kumar, an accused in the fodder scam who had been on the run for 25 years, intercepting him at Lucknow railway station late on Thursday night. Kumar, who was declared a proclaimed offender after failing to appear for trial, had been evading law enforcement agencies since the chargesheet in the case was filed in 2001. A permanent arrest warrant had been pending against him, and investigators finally closed in after tracking his trail across the international border from Nepal into India.
Cross–Border Tracking Leads to Arrest at Lucknow Station
Investigators established Kumar’s whereabouts by combining physical surveillance, technical monitoring, and human intelligence over an extended period. The trail initially pointed to Nepal, where officers tracked his movements before receiving actionable intelligence that he had crossed back into India. Learning that the suspect was traveling by train from Guna in Madhya Pradesh to Lucknow on October 22, the agency formed a dedicated operational team. CBI personnel took up positions at the Lucknow station ahead of the train’s arrival, successfully intercepting and detaining Kumar around midnight.
Transit Remand Secured for Production Before Ranchi Court
Following the midnight arrest, the CBI initiated formalities to transport Kumar to Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, on transit remand. Officials confirmed that he will be produced before the competent court there to face ongoing legal proceedings. The arrest ends a quarter-century evasion that had stalled the judicial process in his specific case, allowing the trial court to resume matters that were put on hold due to his sustained absence.
Legal Proceedings Resume in Multimillion-Rupee Scam
The arrest forms part of the ongoing judicial actions arising from the fodder scam, one of the most prominent corruption cases tied to undivided Bihar. The broader scandal involved the large-scale fraudulent withdrawal and misappropriation of public funds from state treasuries through fabricated bills for cattle fodder and related animal husbandry supplies. The wider investigation previously resulted in convictions for several high-profile political figures, including former Bihar chief ministers Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Prasad Yadav. With Kumar now remanded into custody, the court in Ranchi will determine the next steps in his long-delayed trial.
Follow for daily updates on cybercrime, corporate fraud, DFIR, hacking, investigations, and digital forensics
