CBI arrests four, including CCL manager, in Hazaribagh coal corruption case

New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four individuals, including a Manager and two clerks of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Giddi-A Colliery Project Office, Hazaribagh, in connection with a corruption case involving alleged irregularities in coal transportation.

The arrests were made based on a Joint Surprise Check conducted on March 6, 2025, by the CBI at the Giddi-A Colliery.

The accused officials were allegedly found accepting undue advantage from private coal lifters in exchange for facilitating the unauthorised lifting and transportation of coal.

The case also names unknown public servants and private individuals who are suspected to be involved in the racket.

According to the CBI, the four arrested individuals include: Ayodhya Karmali, Manager, Mukesh Kumar, Clerk, Prakash Mahli, Clerk, and Vijay Kumar Singh, a private individual allegedly acting as a middleman in the operation.

The first three accused were working at the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Giddi-A Colliery Project Office, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, while the fourth is a private individual.

The arrested persons are being produced before the Special CBI Court in Ranchi on Tuesday for judicial custody.

Sources in the investigating agency stated that the CBI had gathered incriminating documents and electronic evidence during the course of their checks and preliminary inquiries.

The accused are suspected of running an organised network that collected bribes from coal transporters in return for issuing favourable clearances and allowing excess or unauthorised lifting of coal.

The case is under active investigation, and more arrests may follow.

This case has raised serious concerns about corruption in the coal sector, particularly in key operational zones like Hazaribagh, where coal transportation plays a major role in regional economic activities.

--IANS

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