Ranchi, July 10: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has seized more than 428 metric tonnes of illegally mined and stored coal during a large-scale crackdown on coal theft and smuggling across Jharkhand and West Bengal, officials said.
The operation, conducted under the nationwide “Zero Coal Leakage” campaign, targeted illegal coal extraction, transportation and storage in mining areas operated by subsidiaries of Coal India Limited.
The campaign was launched following directions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to strengthen surveillance and curb organised coal theft.
According to officials, CISF teams carried out coordinated raids over four days in the operational areas of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL).
During the operation, 428.34 metric tonnes of illegal coal were recovered.The largest seizure was reported from BCCL’s Dhanbad region, where 319.54 metric tonnes of illegally stored coal was recovered from multiple mining locations.
Authorities also seized a truck allegedly used to transport stolen coal along with several motorcycles suspected to have been used in illegal mining activities.
In separate operations across ECL and CCL areas, including Rajmahal, Salanpur, Chitra, Piparwar and Karagali, security personnel recovered an additional 85.93 metric tonnes of coal.
Vehicle inspections also led to the seizure of 13.62 metric tonnes of illegally transported coal.Officials said four FIRs have been registered in connection with the operation, while legal proceedings have been initiated against those involved. Several vehicles and equipment used in the illegal trade were also confiscated.
The CISF said the campaign is being supported by advanced technologies such as drone surveillance, AI-assisted monitoring, GPS tracking and digital documentation to improve security and ensure transparency in coal mining and transportation.
The force added that the anti-smuggling drive will continue and warned that strict action would be taken against individuals involved in illegal coal mining, storage and transportation.
