Overview

• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has exposed rampant illegal rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya, with approximately 1,200 tonnes excavated daily despite a decade-long ban.
• Raids at 15 locations in Meghalaya and Assam uncovered a syndicate using forged documents to smuggle coal across state borders, charging ₹1.27–1.5 lakh per truck in commissions.
• The illegally mined coal is stored in depots in Jogighopa, Assam, and distributed to industries such as cement, brick kilns, iron and steel, and illegal coke plants.
• During the raids, the ED seized ₹1.58 crore in cash, laptops, mobile phones, vehicles, and incriminating documents, including ledgers and fake invoices.
• The investigation, initiated from a Meghalaya Police FIR, continues under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, with further legal action pending.