Illegal mining activities and mineral thefts in the Joda sector in Keonjhar district have come to fore again with a team of Government officials seizing two tonnes of high grade manganese on Tuesday.
These illegalities had significantly come down in Joda sector after the Saha Commission and CEC were appointed by the Supreme Court to probe into the mining scam and various measures taken up by the State Government.
Bileipada Beat House in-charge PK Samal and Joda PS IIC SK Mohapatra seized a Bolero carrying 60 bags of high grade manganese weighing nearly two tonnes at Bileipada and arrested its driver, who has been identified as Sk Parvez of Jharkhand.
The police did not disclose the name of the vehicle’s owner investigation reasons.
Earlier, the Joda police had arrested two men for illegally carrying of 95 bags of high grade manganese. In both the cases the manganese were found to have been brought from the Mahulguda area of Tata lease area under the Joda mining sector.