Post News Network
Keonjhar, June 27: A suspended deputy director of mines was arrested by the anti-corruption vigilance wing for allowing extraction of huge quantity of iron ore illegally beyond the mining lease area in Keonjhar district.
Manas Ranjan Mohanty was arrested by vigilance officers here in connection with Rs 1500crore Uliburu reserve forest mining scam, vigilance coordination section official J Naik told newspersons here. He was produced in a special vigilance court here. He was remanded in 14-day judicial custody after his bail petition was rejected.
Mohanty and others in connivance with mining lease holders, fraudulently allowed other accused persons to extract huge quantity of iron ore illegally beyond the mining lease area and permitted them to dispatch/sell at under valued price to M/s Deepak Steel & Power Ltd and others, causing huge loss to the exchequer, the sources said.
The vigilance sleuths raided Mohanty’s house in Bhubaneswar Friday night before the arrest. The former deputy director of Joda mining circle had been absconding since the scam came to light.
Altogether, 27 persons are reported to have been involved in the multi-crore mining loot while the sleuths arrested only four of them. Other accused are still at large, investigating officer Debadatt Das Mohapatra said.
It may be recalled that the Ulliburu mines lease holder BK Mohanty who was arrested earlier managed to obtain bail from the Orissa High Court. Main accused Deepak Gupta, who had the power of attorney over the mines, has been in the special jail here.
Satyabrat Rout, a government official, who was arrested earlier in this connection, has obtained an interim bail from the High Court.
After the Ulliburu mining scam came to the fore, the state government handed over the investigation to the vigilance department. Five of the accused are relatives of Deepak Gupta.The enforcement directorate had issued orders attaching assets worth Rs 400 crore of three firms, their owners and associates in the scam which was also probed by Justice (retd) M B Shah Commission for financial irregularities.