Sonbhadra (UP), Jan 23 (IANS): A local police team from Sonbhadra's Chopan area have busted a gang involved in the illicit trade of stolen coal.

The police team also managed to arrest six members of the gang in the district’s Gurmura area on the Varanasi-Shaktinagar highway.

According to Sonbhadra’s ASP (headquarters) Kalu Singh, the police cordoned off a culvert in Gurmura, acting on received intelligence. Along with intercepting a coal-laden truck, the police also impounded an SUV and another car belonging to the gang.

Among those arrested were Rihand Raj Naidu, Prem Prakash Pandey, Sanjay Kumar Dubey, Vishwambhar Yadav of Sonbhadra, Prabhat Kumar Singh of Jharkhand, and Rakesh Kumar Mishra of Banda district.

The seized truck was carrying 34 tonnes of coal, said police.

A sum of Rs 5,050 in cash, and six mobile phones were also recovered from the accused.

Initial investigations revealed that Naidu operated an unregistered coal depot in Baidhan, Madhya Pradesh.