The Jharkhand police seized eight Hywa trucks and a loader machine from a railway siding near Noamundi in West Singhbhum district late Monday night. The operation, conducted after former Chief Minister Madhu Koda personally intervened, led to the arrest of ten people suspected of involvement in large-scale iron ore theft.
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Madhu Koda’s Midnight Raid Exposed Mining Mafia
Acting on a tip-off, Koda reached the Noamundi railway siding’s plot number five around midnight, where Iron ore was being loaded onto trucks under the cover of darkness. According to reports, the former CM caught the illegal activity red-handed and immediately alerted the local police. However, police took nearly three hours to reach the spot, allowing Koda to deflate the tires of the vehicles to prevent their escape. On arrival, police seized the trucks and the loader machine used in loading ore, placing them under Noamundi police custody.
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Police sources confirmed that ten people including truck drivers and local handlers linked to the mining mafia have been detained for questioning. Preliminary investigation suggests that thousands of tonnes of Iron ore had already been stolen over several nights from the same siding. Koda claimed that the illegal operation had been going on unchecked for days due to weak surveillance by the mining and police departments.
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Administrative Lapses Under Scrutiny
The incident has reignited debate over the rampant illegal mining trade in mineral-rich Jharkhand. Despite repeated Government assurances, the nexus between local mafias and administrative negligence continues to surface. Koda, who once represented this mining belt as an MLA, said he would urge the State Government to conduct a high-level inquiry into the lapses that allowed such large-scale looting of State resources. He called for strict action against officials and syndicates involved in the illegal trade.
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