India, July 10 -- Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel has recovered more than 428 metric tonnes (MT) of coal during a five-day special operation to check the pilferage and theft of the fossil fuel from mines in Jharkhand and West Bengal, officials said on Thursday.

Hand-picked jawans and Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) deployed by the paramilitary covered multiple acres of coalfields belonging to Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) in the two adjoining States. The CISF is entrusted with guarding the country's major coal fields.

The Union Government recently authorised the force as a designated agency to undertake search and seizure operations under the Mines...