BOKARO: The district police on Saturday arrested Anil Goel, kingpin of an inter-state gang of coal smugglers, following a raid at Nayamoad under City police station here. Goel was wanted in several cases in different police stations of Bokaro, Dhanbad and Ramgarh.
On a tip off, a team of Nawadih police arrested Goel from Nayamoad, when he arrived to meet his associates, said Bokaro SP Saket Singh.
According to police sources, Goel is a resident of Dhansar area of Dhan-bad and owns a coal company and several coal depots in Dubra area of Purulia district of West Bengal. But he had been involved in illegal min-ing of coal in the state and smuggling it to Bihar, West Bengal and other states.
Goel has a strong network of people, who illegally excavate coal in the forest lands of Bhojudih and Amlabad under Chandankyari block of the district and smuggle it to his coal depots in Purulia, situated near the Jharkhand-West Bengal border.
He used trucks to smuggle coal which passes through various districts of the state, including Bokaro, Giridih and others to reach the markets. To avoid police, Goel used to provide fake documents, including permits and receipts to drivers of coal-laden trucks. However, the network of Goel is also spread in Dhanbad and Ramgarh districts, said a police officer.
The officer incharge, Shyam Kishore Mahto, had seized two trucks loaded with illegal coal at Nawadih market on May, 2011. During investigation, police found that the coal was being smuggled on fake documents to Gaya on the direction of Goel and lodged an FIR against him.
"Goel has been sent to jail. He was in the wanted list of coal smugglers in many police stations. Police were chasing him since long time before," said Singh.
However, a police official said that Goel has strong political links under whose shelter he operates the illegal coal trade. Police have also recovered documents which indicate his supply link to Nepal.(TNN,TOI)
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