New Delhi, July 8 -- Dutch public prosecutors have summoned executives of Tata Steel's Netherlands arm over a case of "intentional and unlawful" pollution, nearly four years after the country first started a probe to ascertain if the steel maker's business was a danger to residents in Holland.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM), in a release on Wednesday, said it suspects the company of "multiple criminal offences". These include unlawful release of harmful substances into the air, failing in its duty of care by carrying out insufficient maintenance, operating without the required permits, and not reporting several incidents involving raw coke, a product made by heating coal.

The prosecutors said the criminal investigation began in 202...