Kolkata: Three persons, including a former Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) official, were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday night in connection with the ongoing coal scam investigation.
CBI had summoned the former General Manager (GM) of the ECL, Amit Kumar Dhar along with two coal traders identified as Bapi Thakur and Vidyasagar Das and asked them to appear on Tuesday.
Accordingly, the three persons summoned appeared before the investigating officers at the Nizam Palace in Kolkata. After several hours of interrogation, the trio was arrested on Tuesday evening. Earlier on June 20, the CBI had arrested two persons, including another officer of the ECL, in connection with the alleged coal scam case.
The persons arrested are the ECL Kajora area general manager Naresh Chandra Saha and a civil contractor identified as Ashwini Kumar Yadav. Both of them appeared before the CBI on June 20.
After several hours of interrogation, the duo was arrested at night for alleged discrepancies in their statements.
The CBI has been investigating the alleged coal smuggling case since 2020. During the probe, the name of Anup Maji alias Lala cropped up as the prime accused in the case. While probing, the CBI conducted raids at several places, including Majhi’s office and residence along with the residences and offices of his associates.
Last month, Maji surrendered at the Special CBI court in Asansol and was granted bail subsequently under some conditions.