Fodder scam case: CBI nabs Satyendra Kumar, 25-year-old absconding accused from Lucknow station; all you need to know

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday announced that it has arrested Satyendra Kumar, the self-proclaimed culprit in the fodder scam case who has been on the run for the past 25 years.

In a press release, the CBI said, “After filing the chargesheet in the case in 2001, the accused Satyendra Kumar absconded and was wanted by the CBI for more than 25 years. As he did not appear in the court to face the trial, the court issued a permanent warrant against him.”

CBI busts fodder scam after 25 years: What we know

He was detained around midnight on Thursday while traveling by train from Madhya Pradesh’s Guna to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The agency added, “Based on continuous physical and technical surveillance along with human intelligence, the location of the accused person has been traced to Nepal.” It continued: “Based on specific intelligence, a dedicated CBI team was formed to arrest the accused on his way from Guna to Lucknow. The team was deployed at the Lucknow railway station before the arrival of the train carrying the accused. Around midnight, the accused was apprehended by the CBI team and subsequently arrested.”

According to the CBI, the accused is being taken to Ranchi in Jharkhand on transit remand to be produced before the concerned court.

The case against Satyendra Kumar

According to a report in Prabhat Khabar, a Hindi newspaper, Kumar is accused of fraudulently withdrawing money from the government treasury during the fodder scam. He allegedly supplied drugs to the animal husbandry department in bulk along with his associate Dinesh Rai.

Satyendra’s family lived near the court complex in Ranchi. He and Dinesh Rai studied BPharm at BIT Mesra in Ranchi before starting a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. According to an investigation cited in the report, they allegedly used the firm to siphon off funds by showing stockpiles of drugs worth more than ₹10 million crowns.

After Kumar’s escape in 2001, the CBI received information that he had set up a pharmaceutical company in Nepal, where he was believed to be living. The search for Kumar resumed after the court issued a permanent non-bailable warrant against him.

Bihar fodder scam: What we know

The fodder scam in Bihar centered on siphoning off government money from the animal husbandry department of undivided Bihar during the 1990s. Roughly ₹950 million was allegedly withdrawn between 1992 and 1995 using fake bills for feed, medicine and equipment, leading to 55 cases. The investigation into the matter revealed the involvement of politicians, officials, suppliers and middlemen. Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has been convicted in five related cases.