The police at Deogarh arrested four persons, including a police constable of the district headquarters, for alleged iron ore exploration and smuggling from the Hilang hill under Riamal police station area.
Among the other three is senior Congress leader and ex-chairman Riamal block Indu Pradhan. The two others are Samirkant Kapardar alias Bapi, son of the ex chairman of Deogarh Municipality and Hatakeswar Panigrahi, brother of the former BJP MlA of Deogarh.
Further, arrested police constable Maheswar Sahu is also the husband of lady Zilla Parishad member Parbati Sahu of BJD. Most interestingly, the Congress, BJD and BJP members look to have joined hands in the mineral smuggling for making a quick buck.
“We seized a Bollero zeep, three mobile phones and a machine used in the mining from the possession of the arrested,” said Deogarh SP Dr Satyajit Nayak. The police seized eight trips of iron ore from behind a Dhaba at Kaunsipali village. Further investigation is on to know the details and also to establish the involvement of other persons if any, Nayak said further.
The seized machine belongs to one Sahamud of Raipur, the SP informed. The SP further said that the Tehsildar of Riamal had allowed lease to Samirkant Kapardar alias Bapi for mineral exploration at a separate place. But Kapardar was operating beyond the leasehold area, he informed, adding that Kapardar is the mastermind of the entire business.