Separate teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Bangalore unit, conducted raids on the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers as well as their State-level subordinates in connection with the ongoing investigation into the transport of illicit ore from Bellary to Belekeri port in Uttara Kannada district.
The searches were conducted in Bangalore, Kolar, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Dharwad and Bellary starting Thursday and ending late Friday. In all, the premises of eight forest officials and nine police officials were searched. Prime among those whose premises were searched were Seemanth Kumar Singh (DIG- Border Security Force) and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests S. Nagaraj as well as Belgaum Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Kurera, Police Inspector Ramakanth Hulloor in Dharwad and S. S. Hulloor in Gulbarga.
Mr. Seemanth Kumar Singh, a former Commissioner of Police (Mangalore), was also the Superintendent of Police of Bellary at the height of the mining scam. Although his name does not figure directly in the explosive Lokyukta report on illegal mining, submitted by the former Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde, his designation and period of service in Bellary were noted in the Lokayukta report.
A CBI source told The Hindu a large cache of documents was recovered from these officers.
