Crackdown on Illegal Mining: Seizure of Vessel and Arrests in Jharkhand

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized an inland vessel with a West Bengal registration number during a search on Tuesday as part of an investigation into illegal mining in Jharkhand. The agency claimed that the vessel was being operated illegally without a permit from Sukargarh Ghat in Sahebganj by Rajesh Yadav alias Dahu Yadav, in collusion with Hemant Soren’s aide Pankaj Mishra and others, for transporting illegally mined stone chips or boulders.

The estimated value of the vessel is Rs 30 crore, and a case has been registered in Sahebganj for cheating and other charges.

Furthermore, the ED froze two illegally operated stone crushers of Maa Amba Stone Works, operated by Bishnu Yadav and Pavitra Yadav, along with three trucks carrying illegally quarried stone chips or boulders without mining challans in Mauza Majhikola on July 25. An FIR was also registered for theft and other offenses.

The agency stated that the illegal mining at the sites mentioned above amounted to approximately 37.5 million cubic feet, with an estimated processed value of Rs 45 crore for the mined stone chips or boulders.

Prior to the arrest of Pankaj Mishra, the ED had seized Rs 13.32 crore from 50 bank accounts and Rs 5.34 crore in unaccounted cash, which they alleged was obtained through the illegal operation of stone crushers in Sahebganj district.