Karnataka - Bellary   

Nine held on charge of illegally transporting iron ore

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELLARY, DEC. 31. In a joint operation, the Sandur and Hospet Police arrested nine persons allegedly involved in an organised racket of transporting iron ore using fake permits.

Pankaj Kumar Thakur, Superintendent of Police, told presspersons here today that hundreds of tonnes of iron ore, either stolen or obtained from illegal mining, might have been transported from the Bellary-Hospet-Sandur sector by the gang.

When all lorry drivers produced the required documents during a drive, the police suspected foul play. Most of the documents bore the seal of Mysore Minerals Ltd. When the police informed the authorities concerned, the officials of the company clarified that the ore did not belong to them. They also said that the permits from Mines and Geology Department and the Department of Forests were counterfeit.

Based on a complaint from the Deputy General Manager of Mysore Minerals Ltd., the police team, led by Sandur Police Inspector, Dhanajaya, and the Hospet Town Circle Inspector Vijay Dambal, was successful in tracing that SYT Minerals Pvt. Ltd. in Bellary was transporting iron ore with fake permits. The supervisor of the company, Rajashekar Goud, revealed on interrogation that he and the owner, M.G. Goud, Had got the fake permits at Hospet.

Raided

The police raided the house in Azad Nagar and found that several people were making fake permits by counterfeiting the seal of the Forest Department and the Department of Mines and Geology. The police also raided a printing press and seized a composed plate used for printing the forms.

Mr. Thakur suspected that a lot of fake permits might be in circulation and said that today's arrest was only the tip of the iceberg. He said that a detailed investigation will be taken up to unearth all the details of the racket. Mr. Thakur said that the main accused M.G. Goud is absconding. The police gave the names of the arrested as S.G.M. Kotresh (32), K. Hussain Basha (31), Ashok Kumar (32), M. Razak Hussain (30), Salim (28), S. Khadri (31), Mohammed Rafique (24), Ranga (22), and B. Manjunath (26).

Meanwhile, the Bellary Rural Police, based on a complaint from an official at the Department of Mines and Geology, that iron ore was being transported without valid permits, seized three lorries loaded with 41.81 tons of iron ore today. The lorry drivers were arrested.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous | Engagements |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Nine held on charge of illegally transporting iron ore
Rukminamma is dead

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu