BENGALURU: Congress leader and Karwar MLA Satish Krishna Sail has been jailed for seven years in the case of illegal iron ore smuggling through Belekeri port. The Special Court for People's Representatives, located in Bengaluru, pronounced the sentence. The verdict was issued against six people including Sail.

A case was registered against Sail in connection with the illegal transportation of metric tons of iron ore. The CBI has filed a charge sheet against Mallikarjuna Shipping Corporation company owner Satish Sail and other accused including a forest officer. Last day, the CBI arrested Satish and the other two accused in the case following a court order to immediately arrest and produce him.

The MLA and his co-accused have been charged with criminal conspiracy, fraud, forgery, trespassing and corruption. The case against Sail is that iron ore worth Rs 60,000 crore was smuggled through Belekeri port. The iron ore mined from Bellary was transported through Belekeri port in Karwar. Satish, who is also the local MLA, was active in the search for Arjun, a native of Kozhikode, who went missing in the Gangavali river in Shirur. Therefore, Sail is well-known to the Malayalees.