27-Year-Old Bitumen Scam: ‘Kuber Mantri’ and Aides Sentenced to Jail for Fraud

A special CBI court in Ranchi has convicted former Bihar minister Md. Illiyas Hussain and four others, including his then secretary Shahabuddin Baigh, in a 27-year-old bitumen transportation scam. The court sentenced them to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹32 lakh on each. The scam involved the fraudulent claim of transporting bitumen from Haldia to Hazaribagh, which was instead sold in the open market. The CBI had registered the case in 1997 and filed its chargesheet in 2001.

Key Points

• Conviction: Former Bihar minister Md. Illiyas Hussain, his secretary Shahabuddin Baigh, and three others (Pawan Kumar Agarwal, Ashok Kumar Agarwal, and Vinay Kumar Sinha) were convicted in the bitumen scam.
• Sentence: All five were sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹32 lakh each.
• Scam Details: The case involved alleged transportation of bitumen from Haldia to RCD Hazaribagh via Barauni. Investigations revealed that no bitumen was transported; instead, it was sold on the open market in Kolkata while transportation charges were fraudulently claimed.
• Case Timeline: The CBI registered the FIR in 1997 and filed its chargesheet in 2001.
• ‘Kuber Mantri’: Ilyas Hussain, derisively nicknamed ‘Kuber Mantri’ during the Lalu-Rabri regime, enjoyed a close association with Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi. Lalu’s attempts to install Hussain as a cabinet minister within the Grand Alliance were thwarted by Nitish Kumar, who also blocked his subsequent bid for deputy speaker, citing the ongoing bitumen scam investigations. This repeated frustration underscored the persistent shadow of corruption allegations surrounding Hussain, and by extension, Lalu Prasad’s close circle.
• His daughter, Asma Praveen, joining Nitish Kumar’s JDU, therefore, came as little surprise, serving as a final, public indication of his diminished standing.