Uliburu mining scam: Ex-mines officer arrested

Cuttack: Vigilance sleuths on Friday arrested a former mining official from here for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Uliburu mining scam.

Satyabrata Rout, former senior mining inspector of Joda circle in Keonjhar district, was taken into custody in the evening, vigilance sources said.

Notably, allegations of carrying out illegal mining of iron ore surfaced against Deepak Steel & Power Ltd (DSPL) director Deepak Gupta and his family members in July.

While B K Mohanty had accorded power of attorney of Uliburu mines under Joda mining circle in Keonjhar district to Snehapusph Marketing Pvt Ltd owned by Gupta, the attorney holder allegedly extracted iron ore worth over Rs 1,800 crore outside leasehold area.

Gupta had earlier been arrested in connection with the case.