Materials seized from the smugglers. Telegraph picture

Balasore, Aug. 28: Mayurbhanj police have arrested 10 persons and busted an inter-state gang allegedly involved in smuggling of precious stones.

Following a tip off, the police raided places in Bombay Chhak and Kapadia in the Jharpokharia police station limits last evening and arrested Dyutikrushna Meher, 40, of Kalahandi district and Nityananda Sahu, 28, of Sarskona of Mayurbhanj.

Subsequently, another raid was conducted and eight others were arrested. They were identified as Mahabir Nayak, 39, and Balram Nayak, 28, of Jharkhand, Ashok Agrawal, 55, and Subash Agarwal, 56, of Kantabanjhi, Kalahandi, Basudev Das, 42, Purnachandra Maity, 58, and Anand Meher, 47, of Sonepur and Prakash Nayak, 28, of Bangriposhi.

The police seized nearly 100gm of emerald gemstones and also Rs 1 lakh cash from them. A case under sections 379 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act has been registered against them.

Inspector in charge of Jharpokharia police station Trilochan Sethi said: “In the past three months, about 250gm of the gemstones have been seized and 30 persons arrested from various localities. Despite a ban, people had been illegally extracting gemstones.”

Sources said emerald stones were found in certain mineral areas. Local people keep digging earth in patches and collect the precious stones. Traders from various parts of the state procure and dispose them of in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai at exorbitant prices. Uncut stones are sold in Mayurbhanj for Rs 10,000 per 10gm and the finished stones of better quality are sold at a higher rate.

Baripada sub-collector Radhakrushna Rout said: “The mining department has been informed about illegal mining and the police have been asked to guard the area. Prohibitory orders are in force in the mining areas.”

A local resident said Kapadia village, which borders Jharkhand, has precious stones, but the area is considered to be a Maoist-hit one. People, therefore, take advantage of absence of the police and other officials.

However, tehsildar Trilochan Das said: “We carry out raids from time to time to prevent illegal excavation. While the unlawful practice has been stopped yet some people extract them even from their private land.”