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VALPOI: Valpoi police on Saturday arrested Nanda Kishore Jalan (53), the administrative officer of Ambe-Metallic, a Pissurlem-Sattari based company, in the alleged illegal ore transportation case, police said. This takes the total number of arrests to three.
Jalan was arrested after the truck owner confessed that the ore was purchased from Digne, Bicholim itself, confirming the doubts that despite the Supreme Court’s interim ban on transportation, export and mining of ore, such activities were still continuing in the state.
Police sources disclosed that one of the two arrested earlier ~ the driver and owner of the Karnataka registered truck~ for illegal transportation of ore had admitted that the ore was not from Reddi-Maharashtra, as earlier claimed, but was purchased from a person who had claimed that he had got it while constructing some rooms, segregated at Kudne (Bicholim), before being allegedly supplied to Ambe-Metallic company.
Jalan complained of ill-health to the Valpoi police on being arrested and was admitted to the Valpoi community health centre on Saturday morning. Police are on the look out for more persons involved in this case.
Documents produced by the owner of the truck may possibly be false and police stated that they are investigating the issue. It may be recalled that the documents were purportedly from the Mines Department and had claimed that the ore was coming from Reddi.
Police have registered the case against the accused under Sections 379, 420, 468, 471, 188 read with 34 IPC and Rule 3 (2), 7 of The Goa (Prevention of illegal mining transportation and storage of minerals) Rules 2004, Section 4(1-A), 21(1) (4) of the Mines and Minerals (development and regulation) Act 1957 and Rule 45 (13) of Minerals Conservation and Development Rules 1998.
