Body of Santosh Gomwar, Manager of Wani-based Gupta Washery, was found in a coal-laded railway wagon by KTPS workers
Nagpur: In a sensational claim, the NCP leader and President of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ organisation Prashant Pawar has alleged that the mastermind of multi-crore coal scam Santosh Ramdas Gomwar was murdered as proofs of his involvement were broght before the media on numerous times. Pawar was interacting with media persons on Sunday. The deceased Gomwar was working as Manager at Gupta Washery in Wani in Yavatmal District.
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Pawar further said that on March 8, Gomwar came to office as usual but thereafter he went missing. He had left the office after keeping the cell phone for charging, saying he would soon return. He was seen heading towards the railway station. Since he did not return for two days, his wife had filed a missing complaint with police as well as with the company. Later, workers at Koradi Thermal Power Station (KTPS) were left stunned on March 10 after the decomposed body of Gomwar was found in one of the wagons which transported coal from a Washery at Wani. The body was spotted when the coal was being offloaded. Preliminary probe pointed out his death was caused due to asphyxiation. It’s also learnt that post mortem suggested heavy deposition of coal dust in the nasal passage and also in lungs, Pawar said. “But how Gomwar reached the railway wagon has not been cleared by the police,” he added. Koradi police have handed over the probe to their Wani counterparts.
“Coal from different washeries come to KTPS by railway wagons. On Thursday, such a wagon reached the KTPS. While unloading the coal, the body of Gomwar was found lying in the wagon. The stunned worker immediately alerted KTPS officials and Koradi police. A police team, led by ACP Santosh Khandekar and Senior Inspector Krishna Shinde, managed to identify the deceased with the help of a PayTM cash withdrawal slip in the pocket. With the help of the PayTM code mentioned on the slip, the cops had zeroed down upon an agent at Wani. The agent was shown pictures of the body sent on WhatsApp. He was murdered as the KTPS workers organisation had frequently had exposed multi-crore coal scams at washeries,” Pawar claimed.
“A good quality of coal at washeries is pilfered and sold in open markets. At the same time, inferior quality of coal is sent to Mahagenco units. This illegal act has been going on since the past 5-7 months. Washeries indulge in such scams and the owners earn crores of rupees. Mahagenco purchases 220 metric tonnes of coal from WCL, MECL, SECL every year. The Mahagenco officials are hand in gloves with the washeries and denting the company coffers,” Pawar claimed.
The NCP leader and President of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ further claimed that in the past many months, about 400 wagons of coal was rejected citing inferior quality of the coal. The same coal was sold to the washeries by Mahagenco at a very cheap rate. In fact the GCV of the rejected coal is more than 2500. In the open market, the rate of such coal is Rs 3000 per tonne. But the Mahagenco sold the same coal to washeries at 2 percent less rate, Pawar made the sensational claim.
