The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Vigilance team of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) carried out a marathon 11-hour surprise check at the Gondegaon mine on Tuesday. The inspection began at 2 pm and continued through the night, finally concluding at 1 am on Wednesday. The action came after the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in Nagpur received a complaint about serious irregularities in the mining operations. Acting on the complaint, the joint team reached the site and started checking official records. During the long search operation, several important documents were examined.

 

These included contracts with private parties, logbooks, coal excavation records, and entry-exit registers. Sources said that incriminating documents directly linked to the complaint were seized by the CBI. The complainant had alleged that large-scale irregularities in the Gondegaon mine were causing losses of crores of rupees to the state exchequer. The seized documents are expected to reveal details about these alleged malpractices. Officials confirmed that the records will be thoroughly scrutinized and if any wrongdoing is established, strict legal action will follow including registration of an offence. Sources added that a senior official, who was recently promoted, is a key focus of the investigation.

 

The 11-hour-long raid created tension among mine employees and contractors. Many were kept waiting as the team went through papers late into the night. According to investigators, the length of the operation was necessary to carefully examine the large volume of records. Officials said that further investigations will determine the scale of the alleged irregularities and identify those responsible.