Govt official booked for duping mining firm

The city police have booked a second division assistant posted at the Mines and Geology Department for duping a Karwar-based mining company by forging signatures of a senior government official and minister.

Based on a complaint filed at the High Grounds Police Station by D B Yuvaraj, a geologist at the Mines and Geology Department, the police registered an FIR against Tarun Kumar, booking him for cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust on Saturday.

In his complaint, Yuvaraj said the department had given a lease to a Karwar-based mining company for a period of 20 years to extract lime shells at 122 acres of government land at Kadwata and Sunkeri village in Karwar in 1996.

The company applied for the renewal of licence and Kumar promised to get it done in exchange for monetary favours, as the accused had taken a huge sum of money as a personal loan. He also asked the mining company to arrange a vehicle for him to commute.

However, when the company started pressuring him to expedite the extension of the lease agreement, Kumar forged the signature of the then secretary of Mines and Geology Department Rajendra Kumar Kataria and former minister of Mines and Geology Rajashekhar Patil on a fake letter written to the department recommending an extension of the lease period.

Meanwhile, before the file was moved for the final approval, Rafiq Ahmed, a manager of the mining company, unable to bear Kumar’s demands, filed a complaint with the department, stating Kumar has taken huge sums of money promising official favours.

In February this year, a departmental inquiry was launched and Kumar was found guilty. Based on the inquiry report, Kumar was suspended and the department later filed a police case seeking criminal action against Kumar.