Vikash Mishra, a key accused in the West Bengal coal smuggling case, was on Sunday arrested by the Kolkata Police in a recently registered case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
Mishra, who was out on bail in the coal and cow smuggling cases following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was sent to police custody till November 28 by the Alipore court later in the day. In the POCSO case that was filed a few days back, a woman has accused Mishra of molesting her niece, officials said.
His arrest comes at a time when the CBI is preparing to file charges against him in the coal smuggling case in Asansol court. While being taken to the Alipore court on Sunday, Mishra levelled allegations of a “conspiracy to kill me”, claiming that exposing the “truth might bring down the government”.
After his arrest in the coal smuggling case, Mishra, who was later named in the CBI chargesheet, had claimed innocence. He argued that he appeared before the CBI numerous times and that there was “no concrete evidence” linking him to the scam. The coal pilferage scam in Bengal is related to the illegal mining and pilferage of coal from leasehold areas of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) in the Kunustoria and Kajora areas of Paschim Bardhaman district. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the money laundering aspect of the case.
Investigations into the case began in 2020 when the theft of coal from various railway sidings in the state came to light. The income tax department and the CBI started investigating the matter. The central agency later conducted searches at several locations linked to one Anup Maji, and four others, including Maji’s associate Gurupada Maji, and arrested them. While three others got bail, Gurupada is still lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.
According to the CBI, Anup Maji used to take the help of Enamul Haque, an accused in the cow smuggling case, to smuggle coal. Apart from “enjoying political support”, the CBI claimed that Maji was in contact with officials of the Eastern Coalfields Ltd, police and the railways.