Acting on a tipoff, forest officials seized a heavy truck that was carrying manganese from an area near Upparbahal in the Mahadsani Reserve Forest under the loisinha range in Balangir district on Friday.
The team led by ACF Goutam Naik and Balangir Forest Range officer BC Roul also arrested five persons, including two outsiders, in this connection. The price of manganese in Balangir district varies from Rs 3,690 to Rs 17,296 per tonne depending on its quality and content. The miscreants were taking the mineral to Padampur in Bargarh district, from where it was supposed to be transported to Chhattisgarh, said a forest official.
It is alleged that taking advantage of negligence on the part of police and other monitoring systems, smugglers with the help of some locals have been transporting manganese. It is necessary to identify the person who is dealing with illegal manganese transportation in Padampur when no industry is there.