A routine toll inspection of two trucks in Mahasamund district has led police to uncover a suspected large-scale racket involving alleged theft of sponge iron, fake invoicing and illegal mineral trading, with transactions estimated to exceed Rs 106 crore. Police said the breakthrough came after information was received on February 25 regarding suspected illegal transportation of sponge iron through trucks bearing registration numbers CG-04 JC-4585 and CG-07 AV-5290. Acting on the tip-off, police intercepted the vehicles and questioned the drivers Sonu Lal Mongre and Rameshwar Manikpuri regarding the mineral consignment. When the drivers failed to produce valid documents, the sponge iron cargo was seized under relevant legal provisions and a detailed investigation was initiated. Subsequent investigation revealed that the stolen sponge iron was allegedly being transported through forged documents and routed via intermediaries for illegal trade. Police said Ranjit Singh (45), a resident of Loharachatti in Bargarh district of Odisha, was allegedly involved in storing stolen sponge iron and transporting it to industrial areas in Urla, Raipur, using fabricated invoices.

 

Based on the findings, an offence was registered at Basna police station under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya NyayaSanhita (BNS). Police arrested the two truck drivers along with Ranjit Singh during the investigation. Further scrutiny of documents and interrogation of the accused reportedly revealed that fake invoices were allegedly arranged through an iron and steel firm based in Raigarh. Acting on the lead, police conducted verification at the firm located in Gadhumaria area of Pusaur in Raigarh district. During the inquiry, police found suspected links of the firm’s operator Tarak Ghosh (56), a resident of Raigarh, with the alleged illegal transport network. He was arrested on March 8 in connection with the case. Investigators said the accused allegedly used shell companies created in the names of three salaried workers to generate fake invoices for transporting sponge iron and masking the origin of the material. Police sources said preliminary investigation suggests that the fake billing and mineral trading network may involve transactions exceeding Rs 106 crore, while evidence of suspected hawala transactions is also emerging during the probe.