Nagpur: After seizing eight trucks laden with coal, the Wani police are investigating the role of Nagpur coal traders in the illegal coal mining and smuggling case. The investigators are suspecting that the racket was operated by a few Nagpur coal traders, reports said.
The police have served notices to the traders but they failed to produce any documents. It may be mentioned here that a joint team of Wani police and Local Crime Branch had seized eight trucks loaded with stolen coal near Petur village in Wani. The police had a tipoff that the coal had been extracted illegally from the mines. The trucks with registration of Nagpur and Chandrapur, were passing without transit passes and documents. The trucks and coal collectively worth Rs 2.42 crore were seized by the police. During investigation, the police directed the truck owners and coal traders to submit valid documents.
Meanwhile, the Wani police team arrived in Nagpur and traced the traders. The notices were issued to the traders including one Agrawal. The roles of three traders from Nagpur have been identified by the police. The police are suspecting that the racketeers were operating the coal scam in crores. Employees of a steel company were also summoned by the police for questioning.
Police Inspector Pradeep Shiraskar of Wani police station, who is probing the case, said that no documents have been submitted by the transporters so far. The police have also written a letter to the Mining Department and the District Collector to initiate further action. The seized trucks are parked in the police station premises.
The seized vehicles include having numbers MH 40 BG 2658, MH 34 BZ 2528, MH 31 CQ 7466, MH 31 CQ 4752, MH 34 BZ 2529, MH 40 BG 0260, MH 29, BE MH 4048, MH 29, BE MH 4048. Immediately after that, the police started action.
