The Kelantan Land and Mines Office (PTG) has seized seven heavy machinery units worth more than RM4 million following a raid on an alleged illegal mining site in Kampung Pulai, Gua Musang, recently.
The operation, which was conducted based on public information and intelligence gathered by authorities, also saw three Chinese nationals detained to assist investigations, while several other workers believed to be Indonesian nationals managed to escape.
A source said the suspected illegal mining activities were carried out on a land area measuring more than three hectares and were believed to have involved a company from China.
The source said the landowner allegedly claimed to have a mining permit before allowing the company to conduct mining activities at the location.
“However, investigations found that the landowner did not possess any permit issued by PTG. The letter provided to the Chinese company was only a document issued by the landowner in his capacity as the property owner,” the source said.
Authorities are now working to locate the landowner for further investigation, while initial findings suggest the mining operation may have only started about two weeks ago.
The source added that the operators were believed to have extracted around 100 grams of gold daily from the site.
“The company claimed that mining activities had only been carried out for three days, but further investigations are still being conducted,” the source said.
Among the equipment seized during the raid were three excavators, a lorry, a bulldozer and a power generator.
The case is being investigated under the Mineral Enactment 2001 and other relevant laws involving illegal mining activities.
