SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 2: The cordon off the colliery area by police and CISF personnel to catch the cable thieves holed up in Bhagyalakshmi underground mines in Mugma area of Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL) in Dhanbad has continued for the last 38 hours.
A senior police official deployed on the spot said that in the wake of ongoing impasse, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjiv Kumar is scheduled to visit the spot and in his presence, a team of security forces would enter into mines to nab the criminals hiding in the underground mines.
“Though a team of Central Industrial Security force (CISF) deployed in Mugma Colliery area entered the mines at around 8 pm on Monday, they returned after going hardly 100 yards inside claiming that no criminal was seen there. Now, the police team will inspect to fish out the trapped criminals,” said the police official.
As per a CISF official, around 20 to 25 cable thieves entered the underground mines at around 11 p.m. on Sunday. When CISF challenged them, the criminals started firing bullets and lobbed grenades at them. One CISF personnel got injured in this grenade attack. However, forces of Maithon and Chirkunda police station reached the spot late at night on Sunday and besieged the mines.
“Despite repeated calls for surrender through a loudspeaker, the trapped cable thieves have given no response in the last 38 hours. So, the only option left is to enter into mines to nab them,” said a police officer.
An officer of Mugma colliery camping at the spot said that since criminals are believed to be laced with weapons and grenades, there is an apprehension of attack from their side. So, the security forces are measuring up all steps before entering in.
However, a local of Mugma colliery area observed that police would get nothing as cable thieves would have escaped on Sunday night after the incident.
“Police have cordoned off only the entrance point of the mines while those cable thieves must have escaped from the ‘Chor Dwar’ (secret door),” said the local resident.
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