Imphal: The Central Bureau of Investigation Wednesday arrested seven former employees of Eastern Coalfields Limited in a coal smuggling case.
The seven accused included then two GMs, then Chief Manager (Security), then Project Officer, then Manager (Security), then two Security Sub Inspectors of Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (ECL)
A case was registered on November 27, 2020, on the allegations that the public servants of ECL including security personnel, private person, and unknown officials including CISF, Railway, other departments & unknown others entered into conspiracy during May, 2020 & onwards. In pursuance of the said conspiracy, they fraudulently misappropriated coal from the coal reserve of leasehold areas under the dominion of ECL and also from the coal stock parked in the Railway sidings for sale and supply.
It was further alleged that the said accused had obtained an undue advantage in the form of huge and regular cash amount as bribe from said private person and facilitated misappropriation of coal from ECL leasehold area & corresponding railway siding and thereby extended undue protection & patronage to the illegal coal syndicate being run by the said private person.
Earlier, CBI had also conducted searches at various places including in the States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar & UP etc. at the premises of the accused.
All the arrested accused were produced Thursday before the Special Court at Asansol (West Bengal) and were remanded to five days of Police Custody, the press note added.
