ET reported that the crime branch has registered a case against Nationalist Congress Party's national secretary Mr Jitendra Deshprabhu son of a senior cabinet minister and several top bureaucrats for illegal mining of ore.

The crime branch has registered the case against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Town and Country Planning Act, Mining and Minerals Act, as well as under various sections of IPC including Section 420 (cheating).

An official from the crime branch said that "We have registered a case against NCP national secretary Mr Jitendra Deshprabhu, son of a senior cabinet minister, director of industries and mines and other officials of mining department, director of transport and other officials of the transport department, chief conservator of forests and other officials of forest department. The case will be investigated by PI Sudesh Naik.”

Activists Kashinath Shetye, Ketan Govekar and Pradeep Kakodkar had, in their complaint to the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) PI, crime branch PI and Panaji PI, alleged that Deshprabhu had cheated the state government to the tune of INR 50 crore due to the illegal extraction of ore in his property located at Pernem in North Goa. In the complaint it was stated that Deshprabhu has been fined INR 1.72 crore for illegal mining of iron ore in Goa as per the documents of the state mining department.

The complainant also stated that Deshprabhu has admitted that the land where illegal mining was being carried out was owned by him. It was alleged that 15,000 tonnes of iron ore has been dumped in his adjoining property of survey no 299/0 of the Korgao village panchayat and more than 15,000 tonnes have already been extracted which has been assessed on the basis of the site inspection report of the mining department. Based on the report Desprabhu has been issued notices under Mines and Minerals Department and Regulation Act. It has also been alleged by the complainants that “The son of a senior cabinet minister has been contracted to extract the iron ore from the mining pit.”

(Sourced from ET)