Assistant Commissioner H M Shah told Express Newsline that one Gulukhan Pathan had been running the kiln for at the last five years, but could not be arrested because of the kiln was located in a remote location in Dodka village of Vadodara rural taluka. The accused had a pucca kiln in about three hectares area and manufactured bricks under different brand names including one Kohinoor Bricks.

However, on a tip-off the commissionerate went to the village earlier this week and sealed the whole area and seized more than 6 lakh bricks. A case under Section 379 IPC (theft of government property) and Rule 5 (42) of the State Mines and Minerals Act was registered against him. The accused was yet to be arrested and interrogated, the police said.

Shah claimed that after the accused is arrested, the commissionerate would slap a fine worth lakhs on him, for having used government land and clay without permission, he added.