As many as 11 motorcycles laden with illegal coal were seized in a raid conducted by police near Bodo Nala area of Bokaro here on Tuesday morning. Police also nabbed two coal smugglers. Later police altered the Bokaro police chief P. Murgoan.
Officer-in Charge of Bokaro Thermal Umesh Kumar Thakur said that the motorbikes were about to illegally take away coal from the Govindpur CCL project area and started on the way when the thermal police forces team conducted a surprise raid near exit point Bodo Nala. Two persons were identified as Jamil Ansari and Md Jainul Ansari have been arrested in this connection.
A case has been registered with the police in connection with the incident. Moreover, 9 persons, who were driving motorbike managed to escape.
The capture of 11 motorbikes loaded with 2.75 tonnes of illegal coal from the area towards the fact that CCL security has so far been unable to effectively check the activities of the coal mafias in the Bermo area, sources added.
Coal smuggling in on the rise in CCL project area in entire Bermo, despite claims by the district administration officials that illegal mining has been brought under control, sources said.
The coal traders have now adopted novel method of illegally mining coal from the Damodar and Konar river basins where they have dug up permanent tunnels hidden under a thin layer of sand.
The coal is transported by bullock carts and by motorcycles to dumps along the national highway and Nawadih forest areas.
The trucks now ply from Narki, Kanjkiro, Visungrah, and Bagodar areas through the GT road from 1am to 5am every morning to make sure that the entire coal is transported out of Jharkhand before day break, added Source.