A 25-member Vigilance team led by SP Sashi Bhusan Mishra arrived at Joda investigate the alleged illegal mining in the Uliburu iron mines. While one section of the team examined the documents relating to the BK Mohanty Mines in the office of the Deputy Director Mines, Joda, another group examined the records in the Divisional Forest Office, Keonjhar. The team will later make field visits to the mines.
According to the investigations made so far, Deepak Gupta of Deepak Steel & Power took control of the BK Mohanty Mines through a power of attorney a few years back and the company is alleged to have carried illegal mining outside its lease area encroaching 35 hectares of reserve forest and revenue land. The illegally raised materials are estimated to be worth about Rs 1,800 crore by the year 2009.