The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday exposed a massive ₹100-crore illegal coal mining and laundering racket operating across Meghalaya and Assam, uncovering a syndicate that has been flouting the mining ban in Meghalaya for over a decade.
As part of its investigation into illegal coal mining and unregulated coke plants, the ED conducted searches at 15 locations, including Jadigittim and Nongalbibra in Meghalaya and Jogighopa, Margherita, and Guwahati in Assam. The agency found rampant rat-hole mining in South Garo Hills, where 20 mines were operating under inhuman and unsafe conditions. The ED stated that an estimated 1,200 tonnes of coal are being illegally excavated daily. Trucks carrying the coal were escorted across state borders by a Meghalaya-Assam nexus, with documents fabricated to show the coal as legally sourced. Syndicate members charged between ₹1.27 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh per truck.
Cash transactions dominated the racket, with fake bills used to mask illegal operations. During the raids, the ED seized ₹1.58 crore in cash, laptops, mobile phones, and two luxury vehicles. Diaries revealing detailed cash transactions were also recovered.