Graft case: Absconding ex-KSEB cashier held

T'puram: An absconding former cashier of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), convicted in a corruption case, was arrested by vigilance on Saturday after the Supreme Court upheld his sentence.Zakir Hussain, a native of Nedumangad, was taken into custody from Charummoodu. He had been on the run after evading court proceedings despite directions to surrender. Following his arrest, he was produced before Thiruvananthapuram vigilance court and remanded to central jail. Hussain had served as cashier at KSEB sub-engineer's office in Vithura–Tholicode. The case pertains to the embezzlement of Rs 1.37 lakh collected from consumers in 2004, which he failed to deposit in the bank. The vigilance and anti-corruption bureau registered a case and filed a chargesheet. In 2013, the court found him guilty, and sentenced him to two years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 2,000.Hussain challenged the conviction in high court, which dismissed his appeal. He later approached Supreme Court, but his plea was rejected, with the apex court directing authorities to execute the sentence. However, he went into hiding. After sustained tracking, the vigilance team traced and apprehended him, officials said. TNN