PANAJI: The special investigation team probing the alleged multi-crore mining scam has arrested an ore trader for his alleged involvement in illegal mining and theft of iron ore.
The accused Kancha Gaunder was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday.
He was produced before the district and sessions court, Panaji, and remanded to seven-day police custody.
Gaunder is a resident of Tisk-Usgao, but originally hails from Salem, Tamil Nadu.
A senior police officer said that Gaunder has been arrested in connection with the main case pertaining to lease renewals and other alleged illegalities in which the SIT has been examining around 183 mining leases.
SIT officials said the accused allegedly excavated and transported iron ore from a mining lease at Valpoi to a mining firm in connivance with an influential politician and other individuals.
The accused illegally extracted and transported lakhs of metric tonne of iron ore causing environmental damage. He derived pecuniary advantage neglecting public interest and public health, SIT sources said.
The sources said bank details of the accused suggest online money transfer in crores of rupees through RTGS (real-time gross settlement) in his account from mining related firms/individuals.
Gaunder allegedly paid crores of rupees to mining leaseholders as well as illegal suppliers of ore for purchase of iron ore and sold it to exporters thereafter, the sources said.
Although the accused registered himself as a trader with the state mines department, he allegedly did not file returns for the trade of iron ore, evading to pay dues to the state government and caused loss to the state exchequer, the sources said.
Five persons, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, have approached a court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the main case.
Arjun Salgaoncar, a director of the Salgaocar Mining Industries, Haresh Melwani of H L Nathurmal mining firm, the then director of mines and geology Arvind Loliyenkar and the then senior technical assistant A T D’Souza have also filed applications for anticipatory bail.
