Vigilance team raids 10 places in Uliburu mining scam

Lease holder B K Mohanty detained for further investigation

The state vigilance team today raided at 10 different places in connection with Uliburu mining scam and detained lease holder, B K Mohanty for further investigation.

We had registered a case in Uliburu mining scam earlier. Today we raided 10 places in connection with the case and brought B K Mohanty, the leaseholder, for interrogation, said Sashi Bhsushan Mishra, superintendent of police, vigilance department.

The team conducted search operations at houses of government officers and other persons involved in the scam in different places including Bhubaneswar, Athagarh (Keonjhar district) and Jasipur.

The sleuths have seized some cash during raids at houses of Manas Mohanty, suspended deputy mining director and Sarat Chandra Sahu, former deputy director of mines (DDM) of Joda mining circle. They also searched houses of a Keonjhar forest officer and another ex-DDM of Joda, but none of them were present. Ever since the vigilance wing started investigation into the Rs 1,800 crore mining scam, the state government has suspended 14 officials, seven each from steel and mines department and forest department. It has also filed cases against Deepak Gupta and his family members for illegally raising iron ore under the authority of a power of attorney obtained from B K Mohanty.

B K Mohanty, who has 35 hectare (ha) iron ore lease at Uliburu in Joda mineral circle, is accused of illegally raising and exporting iron ore worth Rs 1,800 crore upto 2009, before the irregularities were noticed by the government authorities. The miner is said to have excavated huge amount of iron ore from forest area by shifting the boundary pillars to nearby Uliburu reserve forest.

The state level enforcement squad of the steel and mines department in March this year had submitted a report showing several rule violation at B K Mohanty mines, based on earlier investigations of Joda DDM and objections raised by the general administration department. Following revelations of the scam, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in July had ordered a vigilance probe.