Former minister Illiyas Hussain convicted in bitumen scam

A special CBI court has convicted former Bihar Road Construction Minister Illiyas Hussain in the 1991 bitumen scam involving defalcation of Rs 18.75 lakh and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for four years.

The court of A K Mishra Thursday also sentenced Mohd Sahabuddin Beig, who was RJD leader Hussain's private secretary then, to rigorous imprisonment for as many years.

The court slapped a fine of Rs four lakh on the duo.


The court also sentenced bitumen transporter Janardan Prasad Agarwal to four years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs six lakh.

The CBI had in 1997 registered a case under various sections against Hussain, Sahabuddin Beig and Janardan Prasad Agarwal for depriving the state of 375 million tonne of bitumen worth Rs 18.75 lakh.