A key accused within the ongoing coal smuggling case in West Bengal was arrested by Kolkata Police on expenses associated to a earlier POCSO case.
The arrest of the accused, Vikash Mishra, comes because the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) prepares to file formal expenses towards him within the Asansol courtroom in regards to the coal smuggling allegations. Mishra, who was beforehand arrested by the CBI in each coal and cow smuggling circumstances, was out on bail. Whereas being transported to Alipore Court docket, he alleged that his arrest was a plot to kill him and that exposing the reality would carry down the federal government.
Earlier, when arrested within the coal smuggling case, he had argued that he had appeared earlier than the CBI quite a few instances and that there was “no concrete proof” linking him to the rip-off.
The coal pilferage rip-off in West Bengal is said to the unlawful mining and pilferage of coal from leasehold areas of Japanese Coalfields Ltd (ECL) within the Kunustoria and Kajora areas of Paschim Bardhaman district. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the cash laundering side of the case.
Investigations into the case started in 2020 when the theft of coal from varied railway sidings within the state got here to mild. The earnings tax division and the CBI began investigating the matter. The central company later carried out searches at a number of places linked to Maji, and 4 folks, together with Maji’s affiliate Gurupada Maji, had been arrested. Whereas three others acquired bail, Gurupada continues to be lodged in Tihar jail.
In keeping with CBI sources, Anup Maji allegedly used to take the assistance of Enamul Haque, an accused in a cow smuggling racket, to smuggle coal. Aside from “having fun with political help”, the CBI claimed that Maji was involved with officers from ECL, the police, and the railways.
