The State Vigilance Cell arrested the absconding suspended Deputy Director of Mines (DDM) of Joda Circle, Manas Ranjan Mohanty, from the Unit VI area here on Saturday morning in connection with the multi-crore scam Uliburu mining in Keonjhar district.Mohanty was later produced in the Special Vigilance Court in Keonjhar and the court remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days. It may be mentioned that on August 3 last year, the Special Vigilance Court of Keonjhar had declared five suspended State Mines Department officials, former DDM Manas Ranjan Mohanty, mining officer Ramesh Chandra Mahalik, Sisir Chandra Mohanty, Routray Murmu and Purna Chandra Patra, as absconders in the Uliburu mining scam case and asked them to appear personally by September 11 last year, failing which their properties would be confiscated.
The Vigilance department has already filed chargesheets against 29 persons, including prime accused mine operator Deepak Gupta, in the Special Vigilance Court in Keonjhar in connection with the Rs 2,000-crore scam.The State Government had suspended 16 officials, including two officers of the Indian Forest Service (IFS), in connection with huge loot.Deepak Gupta, who was operating the Uliburu iron ore mine, originally leased out to BK Mohanty, by virtue of power of attorney, has been accused of violating forest and mining laws.
The mine has remained closed since 2009 after the Government, hounded by the Opposition and media reports, decided to finally crack down on illegal mining operations in the area. The reports of the Mines Department suggest Gupta excavated huge amounts of iron ore from the forest area by shifting the boundary pillars into adjacent reserve forest even after the validity of the mines lease had expired in 2003. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also filed a money laundering case in the matter under provisions of the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA) and is all set to attach properties worth crores of rupees of all those involved in the scam.