JOIN USThe Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Saturday arrested Vinod Goel, a mining baron, for submitting two forged letters of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in favour of his firm Janthakal Enterprises and getting the mining lease renewed with retrospective effect.
A team of officials arrested Vinod Goel in Mumbai and produced him before the Lokayukta special court in the evening.
The Lokayukta report on illegal mining (part-2) stated that Janthakal Enterprises had filed two forged MoEF letters to mine in old dumps in Chitradurga. The lease was renewed with retrospective effect. When the forgery came to light, Range Forest Officer, Chitradurga had filed a complaint. Vinod Goel had approached the High Court of Karnataka and obtained a stay on investigation. The SIT wrote to Chitradurga district police to take steps to vacate the stay. After the stay was vacated, the case was transferred to SIT three months ago.
However, Goel obtained a transit bail for four weeks at the Mumbai High Court to surrender before the Investigating Officer. The term of the transit bail expired on June 3 and the team of officials arrested Goel.
The Lokayukta special court remanded Goel in police custody for six days.