The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday recovered cash worth Rs 2.5 crore during search operations conducted at multiple locations in Ganjam in connection with the illegal excavation and sale of minor minerals, like sand and black stone, officials said.
The searches were conducted in premises linked to brokers, people with serious criminal antecedents, and other connected persons, including gangsters, who allegedly used musclepower to carry out illegal mining, ED officials said.
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During the searches, an almirah full of cash amounting to crores, high-end vehicles, documents of immovable properties, agreements and mining leases executed by those involved were recovered and seized by the agency.
According to the ED, it had earlier initiated an investigation by way of recording an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) on the basis of numerous FIRs filed against the sand mafia involved in illegal sand mining and transportation.
“The ED is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter of illegal mining in Odisha,” said an official.
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The ED searches came days after the Comptroller and Auditor General, in a report, flagged rampant illegal mining along the riverbed of Rushikulya, Bahuda and Bada rivers in Odisha’s Ganjam district, which allegedly caused a huge loss to the state exchequer.
“The ED is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter of illegal mining in Odisha,” said an official.
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