Keonjhar: In a crackdown on mining Mafia, police arrested eight persons Wednesday on charges of extracting manganese illegally from a forest near Katasahi under Rugudi police limits in Keonjhar district.
According to police officials, acting on a tip-off, a team conducted a raid in the area in the wee hours of Wednesday and intercepted two trucks smuggling the raw materials.
The police tried to stop the truck but when the trucks did not stop, the cops got suspicious and chased the vehicles. Later, the cops detained the two vehicles that had number plates of West Bengal following which arrested eight persons.
Following the arrest, the cops also seized an SUV with a number plate of Jharkhand, a motorcycle, eight mobile phones and Rs 1 lakh cash from their possession.
It has been suspected that the arrested persons have links with illegal mining trade and Mafia outside the state.
Further investigation is underway in this regard.
PNN
