CBI arrests fodder scam accused who evaded capture for 25 years, at Lucknow station

NEW DELHI: A fodder scam accused who was on the run for 25 years was arrested by the CBI at Lucknow railway station after investigators tracked his movements from Nepal to India, the agency said.

Satyendra Kumar, who was declared a proclaimed offender after failing to appear for trial, was apprehended around midnight while travelling on a train from Guna in Madhya Pradesh to Lucknow, the CBI said in a statement.

Kumar had gone underground after the CBI filed its chargesheet in the fodder scam in 2001 and had been on the run for more than 25 years. A permanent arrest warrant had been issued against him.

CBI investigators pursued his trail using physical surveillance, technical monitoring and human intelligence, eventually tracking him to Nepal, before learning that he had recently entered India.

A dedicated CBI team was formed to arrest him on his way from Guna to Lucknow, and personnel were positioned at Lucknow railway station ahead of the train's arrival, a CBI spokesperson said. Kumar is being brought to Ranchi, Jharkhand, on transit remand for production before the competent court.

The fodder scam involved the embezzlement of funds meant for the purchase of cattle fodder and related supplies in undivided Bihar. Former chief ministers Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Prasad Yadav have been convicted in cases linked to the scam.