Police today seized 5 tonnes of illegal coal while conducting a raid at an illegal coal depot at Pipradih under Gomia police station. Six persons were arrested, while other members of the team managed to flee from the spot. Police seized around 5 tonnes of coal with 5 motorbikes, which were stolen by the coal thieves at Pipradih.
“We have formed a special task force jointly with administrative officials and are conducting raids to curb the economic crime,” Ramkumar said.
Thousands of tonnes of coal, extracted illegally from forest lands, abandoned CCL mines of rural areas of Bokaro and Dhanbad, is being smuggled to West Bengal through the Chandankyari area of the district. Chandankyari is the last block of state which touches Purulia district of West Bengal.
The coal mafias of both Jharkhand and West Bengal run this illegal trade jointly. “There are hundreds of people involved in this unlawful business starting from unlawful digging of coal to ferrying it outside the state,” said sources.
