A task force under the tehsildar of Sandur in Bellary district seized 57 railway rakes of iron ore that was being ferried illegally to Andhra Pradesh using fake permits.
A task force under the tahsildar of Sandur in Bellary district seized 57 railway rakes of iron ore that was being ferried illegally to Andhra Pradesh using fake permits on Wednesday.
The ore was loaded onto the rakes despite a ban on mining in
that district. The task force seized the ore before the freight train had left the Yeshwanthnagar railway yard in Sandur.
One person, Kajha Hussain, 40, was arrested in this connection. Charges of theft and cheating were slapped on three others, Kage Manja, 25, Mahabali, 40, and Muneer, 35, besides Kishore Transports, the firm which was ferrying the ore.
Assistant conservative of forest G Venkatesh said the gang was exporting iron-ore already seized by the task force a couple of years ago. “We have seized 4,000 metric tonnes of iron ore, worth Rs6 crore, he said.
The gang was exporting iron ore to Kaveri India Steels in Andhra Pradesh’s Medak district. They had forged the seal of the of department of mines and geology, and also the signature of the official concerned. They produced an illegal permit in the name of the Gadige Mines and Minerals. The permit number, 4728, produced to the station master, was earlier given to VS Lad Company in February.
Venkatesh said Kishore Transports gave the fake transport permit to the station master on Wednesday night. He added that the gang had stolen iron ore seized from illegal mines operating in revenue lands.
The forest official expressed suspicion that several tonnes of iron ore might have been smuggled out through the Yeshwantnagar railway yard by producing fake permits.
“We will confirm it once we verify the transport permit produced at the railway station,” Venkatesh added.
Mining has been banned in Bellary after the Central Empowered Committee, appointed by the Supreme Court, had visited the areas in Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh state border.
The Sandur police have registered a case.
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