The Bokaro thermal police team on Monday recovered around 53 tonnes of illegal coal by conducting a drive in the forest of Kathara area within the limits of the same police station.

Coal smugglers were caught off-guard on Monday morning, when the Inspector-cum-Officer-in charge, Ravindra Kumar Singh along with other forces launched a sudden raid on Jarandih railway siding.

Seeing the police party the smugglers beat a hasty retreat, nearly 50 tonnes of steam coal kept near buses was recovered from the intensive operation. Police sources said coal is carted on bicycle and other communication and dumped in the Jarangdih residential colony from where it is transported to other destinations.

With the sudden raids panic seems to have spread among some of the illegal traders in the locality. Bokaro SP Chandan Kumar Jha said he conveyed to all the officer-in –charges of all police stations of the Bokaro that he will not allow illegal mining and his movement against illegal mining of coal in Bokaro will continue unabated. The drive was carried out following the direction of Bokaro SP who constituted a team comprising officers of Bokaro Thermal police station. "Police found several heaps of illegal coal worth more than Rs 2 lakh stocked at different places inside the buses in the Jarandih area. These coals were illegally  stolen from railway racks near railway siding and Jarandih mines of the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL)," said a police Inspector Ravindra Kumar Singh.

Bokaro Thermal police have also seized five motorcycles with 100 quintals of illegal coal conducting drive in Lukubad more of the block.

The SP said that he instructed all police stations to stop illegal mining and transportation in the district or otherwise be ready to face the music, it is instruction of higher officials to concentrate on curbing illegal coal transportation first. Though entire Nawadih block area is Maoist zone covered with thick forest, it will be difficult and risky for police but we are always ready to face and fight it.