Ranchi, Nov 12 (IANS) Companies engaged in coal mining, transportation and related businesses in Jharkhand’s coal belt have increasingly become targets of criminal gangs, with incidents of firing reported at company offices, mining sites, security posts, and the residences of coal traders.
Nearly a dozen such incidents have been reported over the past four months across Chatra, Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, and Ranchi, amid suspected extortion attempts and turf wars. The latest incident took place in Honhe village under Tandwa police station limits in Chatra district, where three motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at the office of AVS Coal Transporting Company around midnight on Wednesday.
The company claimed that 10 to 12 rounds were fired, while Chatra Superintendent of Police Animesh Nathani said that preliminary investigations indicated two to three rounds of firing. Empty cartridges were recovered from the spot.
The office is located near the Project Officer’s office of the Amrapali coal project and a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) camp.
A purported letter circulated on social media in the name of the Rahul Dubey gang claimed responsibility for the firing and allegedly threatened people associated with the company. Police are verifying the authenticity of the letter.
Earlier, on the night of October 26-27, firing took place at the gate of the Sainik outsourcing company in the Urimari colliery area. Security guard Vivek Kumar Ojha was seriously injured in the attack. Seven empty cartridges and a pamphlet bearing the name of the Rahul Dubey gang were reportedly recovered from the spot.
In early November, Hazaribagh Police arrested accused Anshu Dubey following an encounter in connection with the case.
In the last week of October, motorcycle-borne assailants also opened fire at the residence of coal trader Sanjay Karmali in Prem Nagar under Kanke police station limits in Ranchi. A night earlier, firing was reported outside the AK International Hotel in Hazaribagh, run by coal trader Abhay.
Police arrested five people allegedly involved in the Ranchi and Hazaribagh incidents. One of the accused was injured in retaliatory firing by the police.
On October 24, five people were arrested with weapons in Hazaribagh’s Keredari coal belt for allegedly plotting firing incidents to extort money from companies operating in the area.
Another incident was reported on August 23, when four masked assailants allegedly fired around eight rounds at the office of Susi Infra, a company working at the Chandragupta coal project in Urdusu village under Tandwa in Chatra. The Rahul Dubey gang had also claimed responsibility for that attack.
A common pattern has emerged across several of these incidents, with company offices, entry gates, security personnel and the homes of coal traders being targeted. Threatening letters and social media messages allegedly seek to pressure companies and individuals into making contact with criminal groups, paying extortion money or allowing business operations to continue under their terms.
However, the involvement of a particular gang and the extortion motive have not been officially established in every case. Police investigations are continuing to examine these aspects.
The repeated incidents of firing have created an atmosphere of insecurity among employees, contractors and business owners associated with coal mining and transportation. The attacks have also raised questions about security arrangements around coal projects and how assailants continue to carry out firing incidents despite the presence of police and security forces in the region.
–IANS
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