4 members of gem smuggling racket held

Four members of an inter-state gem smuggling racket were arrested during a raid in Tituldanga chowk in Ghatsila sub-division, police today said.

Acting on a tip-off that some smugglers were engaged in dealing of emerald in Gurabandha police station areas last night, a police team headed by Gurabandha police station Officer-in-charge, Kuldeep Prasad rushed to the spot.

When the smugglers tried to flee in a four-wheeler, they were apprehended, Senior Superintendent of Police, Anoop T Mathew, who was accompanied by Superintendent of Police (Rural) Md. Arshi and Superintendent of Police (city) Prasant Anand told a press conference here.

The four included the lady kingpin Mamta Patra of Naya Pallee locality in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
 

Police recovered 400 grams of emerald, he said.

The four other arrested were - Ratikant Behra, a resident of Govindpur village under Jharpokharia police station in Mayurbhanj distirct, Prakash Kumar Bhor, a resident of Handigaon under Pipli police station in Puri distirct, Biswajit Dubey of Baharagora police station area of Ghatsila sub-division.

A case has been registered against the arrested under section 413/414 IPC, 33 IPC and 4/21 MMDR Act, Mathew said.

Describing the arrest as a big catch, Mathew said several arrest made in the past comprised mostly of poor villagers, who indulge in illegally mining.

Mathew did not rule out the possibility of involvement of Naxals also get their share of money from illegal mining.

Police launched hunt to apprehend four other absconders - Nityanand Sao and Bullu Sao of Odisha and Titu and Rajkumar Sardar of Jharkhand, who managed to hoodwink the police during the raid.