Dhanbad, June 25 :     Dhanbad superintendent of police Anil Palta has incurred the wrath of the coal mafia by launching a fresh drive against pilferage of coal from various collieries here. A source said gangsters involved in the illegal trade were trying to 'get rid of' Palta by lobbying in the corridors of power. He said the murder of Leftist leader Gurudas Chatterjee was also linked to the crackdown on the illegal coal trade. At least five corruption cases have been reportedly filed against Palta at the behest of the coal mafia. The SP has been accused of seeking Rs 10 lakh as bribe from coal traders. However, Palta is unfazed by the allegations. 'The police are well-equipped to deal with gangsters. No amount of coercion can force us to suspend the crackdown on the illegal coal trade,' he told The Telegraph. Palta said the mafia had made crores of rupees by pilfering linkage coal from collieries here and selling it in various parts of the country. He said the police had seized scores of trucks carrying such coal to various destinations. 'The illegal trade in linkage coal is actually the mother of all scams in the country. Heads will roll in several coal companies of the CBI conducts an inquiry' the SP said. The police have already served notices on a couple of coal companies, seeking a list of firms authorised to deal in linkage coal. The crackdown on the illegal coal trade was launched after a special task force of Uttar Pradesh police arrived here for an investigation into the abduction of a Varanasi-based businessman. The probe brought to light the nexus between the Bihar coal mafia and criminals in eastern Uttar Pradesh. It transpired that the bulk of linkage coal pilfered from collieries in Dhanbad was being sold in the wholesale market in Varanasi. 'Most professional hitmen in eastern Uttar Pradesh are on the payroll of the coal mafia. Dreaded criminals like Dhoomal Singh and Munna Shukla have long been at the beck and call of coal traders in Bihar,' a source said. One of the few politicians to have backed Palta's drive against the coal mafia was Gurudas Chatterjee. The Marxist Coordination Committee legislator from Nirsa also raised the issue in the Assembly. However, his campaign was cut short when unidentified assailants shot him dead on April 14.