Illegal mining case: ED raids over dozen locations in Rajasthan

Jaipur (Rajasthan): The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids over a dozen locations in Rajasthan in connection with its probe into a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged illegal mining case.

The searches are underway in Rajasthan's Jaipur, Udaipur and Nagaur as part of the money laundering case linked to irregularities in the mining sector in the state, sources said, adding, that the agency sleuths conducted the raids under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The raids were conducted a month after the new BJP government in Rajasthan launched a major drive against illegal mining activities by conducting surveys through drones, wherever needed, to put a curb on the sources of such activities. The highest number of 75 illegal mining cases have been detected in Bhilwara district, where the revenue authorities have been alerted.

As per officials, Rajasthan has as many as 81 varieties of minerals in its land, out of which 57 are being commercially exploited. The state has the highest number of mining leases in the country, while the government has been taking measures to curb unlicensed and illegal mining by using remote sensing data and a geographic information system.

In a statewide crackdown, the Rajasthan Police in March last year filed 813 cases and arrested 330 people involved in illegal mining. During the campaign, 900 vehicles were seized, and 7,472 tons of minerals mined illegally were seized.