CBI books one person in illegal coal trade case

The CBI on Wednesday said it has filed a case to probe the alleged illegal coal trade from Meghalaya to Bangladesh via Barak Valley, including the role of a suspect, Abdul Ahad Choudhury.

The Central Bureau of Investigation registered the case against Choudhary on Tuesday under various sections for cheating, creating forged documents as genuine for forgery, voluntarily causing hurt on the basis of the complaint by Abu Bakkar, a resident of Assam.

The CBI registered the case after the Assam and Central governments gave the go-ahead to the central probe agency in 2018. Earlier the FIR against Choudhury was registered at Karimganj police station in Assam.

In his complaint to the CBI, Bakkar alleged that he had given Rs six lakh to Choudhury for buying coal. "However, he was handed over fake challan by Choudhury due to which he cannot bring the coal," it alleged.

The FIR further alleged that when Bakkar went to demand his money from Choudhury at his office, he learnt about the fake challans being made by the computer operators.

The CBI had earlier carried out searches at the premises of Choudhury and it was then revealed that several public servants in Meghalaya were on his "monthly payroll".
IANS