Thursday, June 2 2005 13:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Former Patna District Magistrate Gautam Goswami, one of the key accused in the Rs 17.5 crore flood relief scam in Bihar, will surrender before court if he fails to get anticipatory bail, said Goswami's father Utplendu Goswami.

The former bureaucrat is missing and Bihar has sounded a nationwide alert for him. The vigilance department has alerted international and domestic airports and immigration check-posts across the country to prevent Goswami from leaving the country.

Utplendu Goswami said his son is innocent and not an absconder.

"My son is trying to get anticipatory bail," he said.

Speculations abound that Gautam Goswami has fled the country to escape arrest following non-bailable warrants for him and eight others by a special court in Patna two days ago.

Utplendu Goswami flayed what he called a media trial of the former Time magazine "Asian Hero". "How can a law abiding officer be an absconder? He is in India and waiting to surrender," he said.

He refuted the reports that Goswami was in Gangtok, but refused to divulge anything about his whereabouts.

The court yesterday (Jun 1, 2005) ordered impounding his passport following the vigilance department's plea.

Additional Director General of vigilance department's investigation bureau, Neelmani, said he was unhappy with Sahara India, Goswami's employer. "We are sorry to say that Sahara India management is not cooperating with the team camping in Lucknow," he said.

According to Neelmani, the vigilance probe team will also look into the company's role in giving shelter to the accused.

The Bihar Government last month also served a show cause notice on Goswami for joining a private company without being relieved from Government service.