Panaji, Jul 11 (IANS):The crime branch of Goa Police Monday issued fresh summons to a leader of the ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in connection with a multi-crore bauxite mining scandal, officials said.

The summons follows a first information report (FIR) filed by the crime branch in May on the direction of a trial court against NCP leader Jeetendra Deshprabhu, party member Gitesh Naik as well as state mines director Arvind Lolienkar.

"We issued summons to Dehsprabhu twice before, but he has not responded. We have given him one more opportunity," a Crime Branch official said.

Deshprabhu has already been fined Rs.1.7 crore for carrying out illegal bauxite mining in Korgao village, 30 km from here.

Crime branch records show that the contract for extraction of illegal ore was awarded by Deshprabhu to Naik, an NCP secretary. Naik was arrested last week by the crime branch in connection with the case.

Incidentally, Deshprabhu and Naik are not the only NCP officials accused of illegal mining. Prafulla Hede, the party's Goa coordinator, has also been hauled up for illegal mining by the Goa govenment, in which the NCP is a coalition partner with the Congress.