Panaji: Senior NCP leader Jitendra Deshprabhu
was arrested in an illegal mining case, minutes after a court
rejected his anticipatory bail petition on Thursday.
As Additional District and Sessions Court rejected the
anticipatory bail plea filed by Deshprabhu, the party`s
national secretary, he was taken to Goa Crime Branch office at
Dona Paula where he was placed under arrest, police said.
The NCP leader is the prime accused in the multi-crore
illegal mining case wherein iron ore was illegally extracted
from his property (an open plot) at Pernem taluka.
The Crime Branch, investigating the case, has already
rounded up Gitesh Naik, a person working with Deshprabhu as a
contractor to transport the ore.
Mines and Geology Department had earlier confirmed the
illegal ore extraction and slapped a Rs 1.7-crore fine on
Deshprabhu whose party is part of Goa`s ruling Congress-led
alliance. The high-profile leader from North Goa had ignored
three summons issued against him to appear before the
investigating officer.
He moved the pre-arrest petition in the court after the
Crime Branch began looking for him. The court had on August 1
concluded hearing the arguments on the petition and reserved
the final order for today.
After the petition was dismissed, Deshprabhu`s counsel
Shashank Samant moved an application for a stay so that the
order could be challenged in the High Court. The Sessions
Court Judge, however, declined to grant a stay.
Crime Branch has already interrogated State Mines and
Geology Department Director Arvind Lolienkar, Chief Wildlife
Warden Shashi Kumar and Director of Transport Arun Desai in
connection with the case.
PTI
