CBI nabs Bhopal’s most wanted after 25 years; corruption accused P M Abdul Razzaq held selling coconuts under alias in Tamil Nadu

BHOPAL: In a breakthrough nearly a quarter of a century in the making, the Bhopal unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a proclaimed offender who had been evading trial since 2001 in a corruption case involving the Telecom Department of the Government of India. The accused was found living under an assumed identity and allegedly selling coconuts in Tamil Nadu when he was traced and arrested.

The accused, P M Abdul Razzaq, was arrested on February 13 from Jalakandapuram in Salem district of Tamil Nadu, bringing to an end a 25-year chase that began with the registration of a corruption case in 1995.


The case (RC No. 14A/1995) was registered on October 16, 1995, by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Bhopal under Sections 120-B and 420 of the IPC and Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The allegations relate to a criminal conspiracy that allegedly caused wrongful loss to the Telecom Department.

Investigators had found that Mukesh Gupta, then Divisional Manager in the Department of Telecommunications, allegedly conspired with Razzaq and others in a manner that led to financial loss to the department. A charge sheet was filed against Razzaq and four other accused on June 29, 1999.

However, Razzaq stopped appearing before the court in 2001 and was declared a proclaimed offender. A permanent arrest warrant was issued against him by the Special Judge, CBI cases, Bhopal, on March 13, 2001. Since then, he had remained untraceable.

CBI officials said a dedicated team was recently formed to revive the search for the absconding accused. Over the past month, officers gathered technical inputs and analysed mobile call records to track possible leads. The trail eventually led them to Salem in Tamil Nadu.

According to the agency, Razzaq had allegedly jumped bail, moved out of Madhya Pradesh with his family and started living under a changed identity — “Abdurasak” — in an attempt to avoid arrest. He had managed to stay off the radar for years while reportedly earning a living by selling coconuts.

On February 13 at around 3.10 pm, CBI officers arrested him from Jalakandapuram. He was brought to Bhopal on transit remand on February 14 and produced before the Special Judge, CBI cases, Bhopal.

With the arrest, the agency has reopened proceedings in a case that had remained stalled for over two decades due to the accused’s absence. Further legal action is underway, say sources.

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