Ranchi: Three persons from Koderma were feared to have been killed while excavating mica illegally from a closed mine in Bihar's Nawada district on Thursday. Senior officials from both the districts have rushed to the spot to conduct inquiries.

"Soon after getting information this morning (Friday), I spoke to my Nawada counterpart and learnt that the lease of Sharda mines had expired long ago. It means illegal mining was being carried, if the incident was at all true," Koderma deputy commissioner Bhuvnesh Pratap Singh told The Telegraph.

Pratap said since there's no mobile connectivity in the area, he couldn't talk to his officials conducting the inquiries. He added that appropriate action would be taken against those involved in the illegal business on the basis of the probe report.

An officer posted at Nawada district collectorate said the area comes under Rajauli police station and one had to pass through Koderma district to reach the spot - some 65km from Nawada district headquarters and around 25km from Koderma district headquarters.

He, however, said illegal mining of mica, stone and coal and smuggling of liquor and timber were rampant along the Jharkhand-Bihar border.

"In such cases, it's often seen that bodies of the victims are quickly taken away by people involved in illegal business to avoid police cases and legal complications. It may not be surprising if our probe team returns empty handed," he added.

A National Green Tribunal team, which had recently visited Koderma and Hazaribagh, had observed that several mountains in these districts had disappeared because of rampant illegal mining and the pristine forests were faced with severe threats. Although several illegal stone crusher units were sealed by the local administration in the recent past, mining continues unabated.