Police Seize 2,400 Tonnes Of Iron Ore In Raids On Plants In Ballari And AP
Based on his statement, police raided Sri Sai Balaji Sponge Iron India Pvt. Ltd. near Nirmalkallu in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and seized 1,050 metric tonnes of iron ore. Another raid at Noble Ispat & Energies Ltd.
Ballari: More than 2,400 metric tonnes of iron ore allegedly transported illegally from NMDC’s C-Block were seized from two private iron plants in Ballari and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
The case came to light after Sandur police intercepted a tipper lorry near Babayya Cross toll gate on January 16 and found it carrying iron ore without valid documents. Following a complaint by officials of the Department of Mines and Geology on January 17, a case was registered at the Sandur police station under relevant sections of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
As the seized ore was found to belong to NMDC, a Central public sector undertaking, Ballari Superintendent of Police Suman D Pennekar ordered an intensified probe. DSP Prasad Gokhale and Circle Inspector Maheshgowda were directed to investigate the case.
During questioning, the driver, identified as Tippeswamy of Nagalapur village in Chitradurga district, allegedly confessed that the iron ore had been illegally transported from NMDC’s C-Block. It was also disclosed that similar consignments had been diverted earlier to private factories in Andhra Pradesh and Ballari.
Based on his statement, police raided Sri Sai Balaji Sponge Iron India Pvt. Ltd. near Nirmalkallu in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and seized 1,050 metric tonnes of iron ore. Another raid at Noble Ispat & Energies Ltd. near Sirivara village on the outskirts of Ballari led to the seizure of 1,437 metric tonnes of ore.
Further investigation resulted in the seizure of two tipper lorries and the detention of two more accused, who allegedly admitted to transporting illegally mined ore from NMDC’s C-Block to the same factories.
Police said efforts were on to identify other persons involved in the racket, verify records obtained from the companies concerned and analyse GPS tracking data of the vehicles used for transportation. “The investigation is being carried out in a transparent and impartial manner, and the full facts will be unearthed shortly,” the SP said.
The accused in the case is Tippeswamy of Nagalapur village, while two others were taken for questioning. One lorry and around 20 metric tonnes of iron ore were initially seized during the interception.
The case has been registered at Sandur police station under Sections 4(1), 4(1A) and 22 of the MMDR Act and Section 303(2) of the BNS.
