Patna, May 10: A middle-aged man died in a landmine explosion allegedly triggered by illegal stone quarrying mafia at Amaritalab under Sasaram Mufassil police station in Rohtas district today.

Though police could not identify the victim, they said he was a resident of Jamuar village in the district.

“Police have launched an operation on the Kaimur plateau to find the victim’s body. We fear that the stone mafia active on the hills have fled with his body after the explosion,” Sasaram sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Vishnu Dayal said.

Station house officer (SHO) of Mufassil police station Dharmendra Kumar said a team of security personnel has reached the site.

“The government had banned mining in the area,” he added.

Sources in the police said the impact of the blast was felt in areas within a two-km radius of the mine. “We are waiting for the victims’ relatives to lodge a formal complaint,” the SHO said, adding that the police have launched an operation to arrest the culprits and trace the man’s body.

Today’s explosion and the death of the man have betrayed the state government’s claim that illegal mining on Kaimur hills had been stopped.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar had also announced in the Assembly that illegal mining had been stopped in the Rohtas-Kaimur region and the mafia would not be allowed to operate.

Rohtas superintendent of police Manu Maharaj had last month sought an explanation from a deputy superintendent of police and a station house officer on finding stone quarrying going on unabated in the area.

“Show cause notices were issued against the two officers on the basis of complaints of patronising the quarrying mafia,” he added.

A police team, led by Maharaj, had seized about 50 vehicles and arrested 40 people on February 27 during a drive against the illegal stone quarrying.