Rajasthan ATS arrests six for trying to smuggle atomic mineral to China: report

Officials recover 31 tonnes of beryl in an operation involving Department of Atomic Energy, Intelligence Bureau and the ATS, The Indian Express reported

The Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested six people in January-end for trying to smuggle an atomic mineral — beryl — to China, The Indian Express reported Monday.  

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the ATS joined hands to bust the smuggling racket, resulting in recovery of 31 tonnes of beryl — an atomic mineral ore of Beryllium. 

"An FIR under Section 14/24 of Atomic Energy Act, 1962 was registered by the Superintendent of Police, ATS, Rajasthan Police, Jaipur on the written complaint of Regional Director, Western Region, AMD (Atomic Minerals Directorate), Jaipur. Six persons were caught,” a government official, involved in the exercise, told the newspaper. Charge-sheets against the accused were filed in the Court of the District Judge, Jaipur, on February 27.

The DAE received a tip-off regarding the mineral’s illegal export through an anonymous letter in early January. Following this, the Intelligence Bureau was alerted, which verified the inputs and passed it on to the Rajasthan Police’s ATS, leading to arrest of the people involved, the Indian Express reported. 

In October last year, a beryl consignment of 20 tonnes was suspected of having been smuggled to Hong Kong from Kandla Port in Gujarat. 

About 10% of the country’s output of beryl — one of the ‘prescribed substances’ notified by the DAE under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 — comes from Rajasthan.

Check on smuggling

The operation is important as India, a party to International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment, is bound by international law to prevent smuggling of atomic minerals. 

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 names beryl among the “atomic minerals” listed in Part B of the first schedule. The mineral also attracts export control regulations under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, the report states. 

The investigative powers of nuclear administrators were reportedly increased three months ago, where the Centre had authorised the director and other officers of AMD for Exploration and Research to exercise the powers of entry and inspection under Section 8 of Atomic Energy Act, 1962.

Nuclear security

A 2014 report by an NGO, Nuclear Threat Initiative, ranked India’s nuclear security practices at 23 among 25 countries known to possess at least a bomb’s-worth of fissile materials. “India has taken the necessary measures to tackle nuclear smuggling… The existing Acts and Rules are sufficient to stop and fight the threat of nuclear assets being drained out from the country,” an official told the newspaper in response to the report. India takes into account guidance in IAEA’s Nuclear Security Series document to physically protect its nuclear materials and facilities, officials added.