GUWAHATI: Assam police intercepted three coal-laden trucks and arrested four persons suspected to be illegally transporting the mineral, at Khetri on Monday evening.
“Three trucks loaded with stolen coal were intercepted and four persons suspected to be linked to illegal coal trade were arrested on the basis of secret information,” P.K. Nath, the officer-in charge of Khetri police station told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
Anil Kumar, Sayeed Alam Haque, Suchil Saikia and Rahul Zutshi were arrested with a case (number 102/18 under Section 379/34 IPC) registered at Khetri police station.
Two of the trucks (AS- 01 HC 0750 and AS 01 EC 9450) are registered with the Assam transport department while one (NL 01 AA 8128) is registered with the Nagaland transport department.
“We suspect the trucks to be coming from either Naganijan near the Assam-Nagaland border in Upper Assam or from Meghalaya. The coal was being brought to the Beltola area of Guwahati,” Nath said.
Police sources say that coal is brought from Meghalaya through various routes en route to other parts of the country.
“Things will only be clear after a thorough interrogation. They will be produced in court with a prayer for police remand,” he said.
Assam police have been on high alert against coal smugglers of late, particular along the inter-state border with Meghalaya.
Last month, the arrest of a key member of the coal mafia at Nine Mile near Jorabat led to the seizure of 20 tonnes of coal sourced from Jowai in Jaintia Hills.
The National Green Tribunal had banned coal mining in Meghalaya in April 2014 even as several lakh metric tonnes of extracted coal are reportedly lying across Jaintia and Garo Hills.