KEONJHAR: Keonjhar police seized around 40 tonne of iron ore worth Rs 10 lakh from two trucks caught stealing from an abandoned crusher near Behera Hatting in Keonjhar’s Joda mining circle in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Following a tip-off, police raided Behera Hatting and intercepted the two trucks, which were filled with iron ore. The drivers of both trucks fled to the nearby forest. During the investigation, police found domestic transport invoices from the trucks, which they suspect could be fake. The trucks have been seized and further investigation is on, police said.
Interestingly, the crusher has been shut down since a long time and a large quantity of iron ore remains stockpiled in its yard. Joda police had raided the same location on February 17 and seized an iron ore-laden truck from there.
An officer from the Mining department, Deepak Dhurua, who visited the site as part of the investigation, said the owner of the abandoned crusher was instructed to deploy security guards to safeguard the accumulated ore. But he has not complied with the instructions due to which repeated thefts take place there.
According to the estimate of the Mining department, around 4,000 to 5,000 tonne ore could be piled up at the site.