In a landmark judgment, a special CBI court in Ranchi sentenced five individuals, including former Bihar Minister of Road Construction Md. Illiyas Hussain, to three years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with the infamous Bitumen Scam. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 32 lakh on the accused.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had taken over the case on May 6, 1997, following orders from the Patna High Court. The case was initially registered on October 7, 1996, at Hazaribagh Sadar Police Station.
Investigations revealed that Hussain, along with four others—Md. Shahabuddin Baig, Ashok Agrawal, Pawan Kumar Agrawal, and Vijay Kumar Sinha—engaged in a deep-rooted criminal conspiracy to siphon off government funds under the pretense of road construction.
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Fraudulent Scheme Unraveled
The scam revolved around the transportation of bulk bitumen from Haldia to Hazaribagh via Barauni for government road projects.
However, investigations revealed that no actual bitumen was transported. Instead, the accused orchestrated a scheme where transporters falsely claimed to have delivered the material while selling it in the open market at Kolkata.
Meanwhile, they fraudulently billed the Bihar government for transportation costs, causing significant financial losses to the state exchequer.
Following extensive investigations, the CBI filed a chargesheet on March 31, 2001. It confirmed that Hussain and his accomplices had misappropriated funds meant for road construction, amounting to Rs 27.6 lakh.
The fraudulent scheme not only caused wrongful loss to the Bihar government but also resulted in illicit personal gains for the accused.
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Conviction and Sentencing
After reviewing the evidence, the special court found all five accused guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 407 (criminal breach of trust by carrier), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine). They were also convicted under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The sentencing marks a significant victory in the fight against corruption in public offices. Law enforcement agencies have reiterated their commitment to ensuring accountability and cracking down on financial frauds that misuse public funds.
With the conviction now in place, legal experts suggest that further investigations into similar scams could bring more high-profile wrongdoers to justice.