In statewide raids against hoarding in imported, high quality and illicit coal stocks, the Rajasthan CID-Crime Branch of Police has seized about 1,850 tonne of coal. During the raids, vehicles were checked at 13 locations in Jalore, Barmer, Jodhpur, Pali districts and 22 people of various gangs involved in the theft and illegal trade were detained.
The imported coal from the USA, Russia, and Indonesia lands at Kandla Port (Gujarat) of Gandhidham passes through Rajasthan before reaching other states, including Punjab, Jammu Kashmir and Delhi, the Additional Director-General of Police-Crime Dinesh M N said.
These consignments of coal were used for making electricity and making cement, the illicit sale by traders have set up illegal depots in different districts of Rajasthan, ADGP-crime said.
Thirteen trailer trucks, 4 NNT, 5 JCB, 5 tractor loader, two Scorpios, one camper vehicle, seven dhramkantas (weighing machines), three cutter machines, two diesel machines, wire packets were seized during the raids while 11 cases were registered against the accused, the ADGP-crime said.
The modus operandi of the gangs involved in the crime is to break the seal of coal containers, take out 30 per cent high quality coal, fill the bad quality coal back to the container and seal it like an original one. About 500 to 600 containers pass through Rajasthan. Drivers of the 150 containers have links with these burglars, who escort the container to a dummy depot near the highway to perform their job of stealing the coal and mixing the bad one. Each container carries coal worth Rs 10 lakh which is stolen from at least 150 containers every day.
The CID-CB teams are probing the case and tracing links of the accused in the national and international markets of this very fuel.