The note, accessed by Deccan Herald through sources in the Central government, also provides an overview of the investigation currently underway on the Bellary mining companies. The I-T department conducted three massive raids on the Bellary miningcompanies between October 2010 and February 2011. The raids yielded thousands of pages of crucial information, which, for the first time, give a complete view of the scale and nature of illegalmining in the district.The unearthed evidence, shared with the CBI and the Lokayukta, constitute the mainstay of the yet-to-be-released U V Singh report, which details with how one ‘GJR Sir’ facilitated an elaborate system of illegalmining by collecting ‘risk money’ and paying kickbacks to governmentofficials and private individuals in various locations. Deccan Herald had accessed the U V Singh reportlastweek and published details of these illicit payments. A senior Central government official, who has reviewed the evidence unearthed in these raids, described it as a nail in the coffin of the mining mafia. “The unprecedented spread, depth and quality of data has drawn the battle line…There is enough ammunition to support a multi-pronged probe by different agencies to subdue the illegal miners and their accomplices,” he said. “The quality of evidence unearthed as a result of search operations is unparalleled,” says the I-T note. “…The other five or six agencies investigating the cases do not have even a fraction of the evidence we have,” it adds. The I-T department has reportedly taken several unusual measures to protect the evidence, given its “explosive nature” and the “notoriety of affected parties”. Several senior officers of the Investigation Wing have made copies of the voluminous documents and kept them in their custody. The broad swathe of documented violations reportedly makes the evidence explosive. Commenting on the nature of recorded transgressions in the district, the Central government officer said: “Income tax evasion is a small charge here. The fraudulent miners should be prosecuted for treason to bring down the State.” A top I-T official initially declined to comment on the note saying it was too sensitive and nopublic interest would be served by publishing it. However, after considering the details Deccan Herald possessed, he confirmed that the information was authentic. Defending the use of the word “subversion” he said a parallel state machinery with own rules, taxation system and enforcement machinery had come emerged in the mining districts. [More]Tags:illegal miningu v singhasha krishnaswamy