Patna: More than 50 vehicles allegedly used for transporting illegally mined sand and impounded by mining department officials have "disappeared" in Rohtas, The Telegraph has learnt.
Altogether 53 trucks and tractors, mostly bearing Uttar Pradesh registration numbers, were seized on February 22 this year during a special drive on National Highway-2 at Dehri-on-Sone in Rohtas district, around 136km south-west of Patna, launched on the directive of mining and geology minister Vinod Kumar Singh.
Dehri Town police station house officer (SHO) Dharmendra Kumar admitted that "some" of the impounded vehicles have vanished from where they were parked.
"I have asked the inspector (mining department) to lodge a complaint against the owners of the vehicles," he added.
The vehicles were seized and FIRs were lodged with the Dehri police station on the statement of mining officer Dharamveer Kumar. "The vehicles were handed over to the police. The tyres of the seized trucks and tractors were deflated so that they could not be driven away," said Dharamveer.
The vehicles' documents were also submitted to court, he said. Both Dharamveer and Rohtas motor vehicle inspector (MVI) Mritunjay Kumar, however, claimed ignorance about the "disappearance" of the impounded vehicles.
"I have heard about it from you only," Dharamveer told The Telegraph over phone on Sunday.
Contacted, Rohtas district magistrate Animesh Kumar Parashar admitted he had sought a status report to verify how and on whose orders the impounded vehicles were released. "We will take action against the officials," he said.
Parashar pointed out that departmental proceedings were earlier initiated against the circle officer of Tilauthu and the Amjou police station house officer (SHO) on similar charges.
Locals residents alleged that the truckers escaped with their vehicles with the tacit support of the local police.
"The disappearance of the vehicles from police custody has exposed the police-sand mafia nexus," said Awadhesh Kumar, a senior advocate of Dehri sub-divisional court.
Rohtas superintendent of police (SP) Manavjeet Singh Dhillon absolved the cops of any responsibility.
"The seizure is prepared and FIR lodged by the mining officer," the SP said. "The seized vehicles are kept under the custody of the police force given on deputation to mining department. The police don't keep their custody."
