THOOTHUKUDI: SIPCOT police have booked six persons including the owner of the VV Titanium firm and confiscated over 39 tonnes of ilmenite sand stolen from a godown that was sealed by the state government four years ago. The police had seized five lorries used for the crime and also detained the drivers of the five lorries for further investigations.
According to the FIR registered at the SIPCOT police station based on a complaint given by Meelavittan VAO Rajesh Kanna, VV Titanium owner V Esakki (49), N Marimuthu (39), P Murugan (49), A Saayandi (39) and S Selvam (51) have been booked under section 448, 379, 420 IPC and 24 (4) Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act). The police have seized a total of 39 bags each containing one tonne of ilmenite sand and several bundles of big bags.
The FIR adds that three lorries had unloaded 30 tonnes of ilmenite at the plant, while one lorry laden with nine tonnes of ilmenite is under custody of SIPCOT police. Another lorry contained several bundles of empty bags. The accused had stolen the ilmenite sand bags by breaking the seals of the godown that was sealed by a special team led by IAS officer Satyabrata Sahoo in 2017, according to the FIR.
VV Titanium Pigment Private Limited, which is a part of the VV Group that makes a turnover of Rs 1450 crore, is under the control of sand mining baron Vaikundarajan and his sons as per an affidavit, said advocate V Ramasubbu.
The godown had a stock of 1.28 lakh tonnes of ilmenite when it was sealed in 2017, according to the documents available.
It may be noted that the owner of the company, who was a leading beach sand miner in the country, also operates a titanium pigment unit in Thoothukudi's SIPCOT industrial complex. Ilmenite is a key raw material for manufacturing titanium dioxide which finds applications in the manufacture of paint, rubber, paper, detergents, cosmetics, printing inks, textiles and plastics among other products.
VV Titanium sources claimed that they formerly procured the ilmenite sand from its sister concern VV Mineral, until the latter was sealed in 2017. However, after the state government banned beach sand mineral mining in 2013, the VV Pigmentation unit had obtained a court order to import ilmenite from the international market for its operations. The ilmenite sand seized by the police was imported material, they said.
An official source said that a sample of the seized ilmenite sand has been sent to IREL for testing to find out whether it is an imported mineral or from a stock sealed in 2017.