The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday conducted raids at 13 locations in four districts of West Bengal in connection with an alleged coal scam, involving a businessman Anup Majee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the sources, the premises of local coal smugglers are being searched in West Bengal. The raids were spread across Kolkata, Paschim Bardhaman, Bankura, and Purulia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The probing agency is investigating embezzlement of thousands of crores of rupees in the scam, that emerged from illegal mining of Eastern Coalfields Limited(ECL). The searches included premises of Joydeb Mandal, the deputy of suspected Anup Manjhi, Amiya Steel Pvt limited in Kolkata and Bankura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last month, CBI had conducted the raids in 10 locations in West Bengal, including Asansol, Jamuria, Raniganj and seven others. The Bharatiya Janata Party had alleged that illegal mining has been carried out in several coal mines which have not been given any lease by the Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In November last year, CBI had filed an First Information Report (FIR) against Majee, General managers of ECL including Jayesh Chandra Rai, Amit Kumar Dhar, ECL chief of security Tanmay Das, SSI and security-in-charge Debashish Mukherjee, Security Inspector Kunustoria Dhananjay Rai. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agency had taken action on information from reliable sources that said illegal excavation and theft of coal in the leasehold area of ECL was being carried out in connivance with officials of ECL, Indian railways and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n