Key Accused in Flood Relief Scam Surrenders after Two Years
Patna: February 5, 2008
 Nidhi Jha, the wife of the multi-crore rupees flood relief scam kingpin Santosh Jha, at a special Vigilance court in Patna on Tuesday turned herself in after dodging the law for nearly two years.
Special Vigilance Court judge Sunil Kumar Panwar, after turning down the appeal for her bail, sent Jha to the Beur Jail until February 7.
Nidhi Jha, whose marital status to Santosh Jha remains unclear, was named an accused in the Rs. 16-crore flood relief scam back in 2006 along with her husband, former Patna District Magistrate Gautam Goswami, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and the brother-in-law of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sadhu Yadav, among others.
Opposing her bail plea, CBI prosecutor Ajit Kumar Singh there was an unbailable warrant against the defendant and the trial had suffered a great deal due to her disappearance for nearly two years.
Diverting money from the flood relief fund, Santosh Jha opened bank account at the Exhibition Road branch of Canara Bank and deposited nearly Rs. 2 crore in his wife's name. Later, cash was withdrawn from this account to purchase two flats in Yamuna Apartment on Boring Road in the name of Nidhi Jha.
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