Police seize 34 truckloads of smuggled Manganese ore

Bhubaneswar, Nov 7 (UNI) Police seized 34 truckloads of Manganese ore worth several crores of rupees from Sarua industrial area under Khurda police station.

Khurda Superintendent of Police R C Mohanty today said the manganese ore was smuggled from Joda mines area of Keonjhar district and was being taken to Ferro alloys rolling mill at Sarua.

Mr Mohanty said acting on a tip off, a police team intercepted the trucks and seized them near the rolling mill. The bills of the trucks were also found to be fabricated, he said. However, all the truck drivers managed to flee.

The officials of the mining and vigilance department were examining the papers and inquiring into the incident.

The SP expressed his surprise as to how the such a huge quantity of Manganese ore in so many trucks passed through as many as six gates without any inspection.

The police have filed a case and requested the court to hand over the seized trucks to the Mining department.

UNI BD DPM KLC1247