Nine Workers Held as East Jaintia Hills Police Bust Illegal Coal Mine in Wailong Raid

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: In a major crackdown on illegal coal mining, police in East Jaintia Hills arrested nine workers during a raid at Wailong under Sutnga village, exposing an active unauthorised mining operation and triggering a wider probe into the networks sustaining such activities.

Acting on specific inputs, the police team raided the site and apprehended nine individuals engaged in illegal coal extraction, underscoring the district administration’s intensified enforcement against prohibited mining practices.

Police have registered an FIR at Khliehriat Police Station, and investigators are conducting a detailed probe into the supply chain and forward linkages, indicating a focused attempt to dismantle the broader ecosystem enabling the illegal coal trade.

Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills, Pankaj Kumar Rasgania said, “This is in continuation of sustained efforts by EJH police to prevent illegal coal mining.” He added that the police remain committed to a strict zero-tolerance policy against illegal coal mining and associated activities.

The operation forms part of a sustained district-wide crackdown, with authorities stepping up surveillance and enforcement to curb recurring instances of illegal mining and ensure accountability across vulnerable zones.

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