In a major crackdown on illegal stone mining, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday conducted raids at 16 sites in Jharkhand, Kolkata and Patna and seized a large quantity of undeclared cash. accounted for, one kilogram of gold, one kilogram of silver, and several documents relating to property.

According to officials, the investigating agency is currently conducting searches at 16 locations, including 14 locations in Jharkhand, one in Patna and another in Kolkata.

The recent seizures were part of a CBI investigation into the alleged illegal mining of precious stones from the famous ‘Nimbu Pahad’ region of Jharkhand. These stones were allegedly extracted without authorization and sold on international markets.

CBI officials said the raids were carried out after an FIR was registered in the illegal mining case on the directions of the Jharkhand High Court.