The Belekeri port scam relates to 3.5 million tons of confiscated iron ore that was exported illegally from Belekeri port near Karwar in Karnataka. After Deputy Conservator of Forests seized the ore and the high court refused to permit it to be exported, a large part of it was surreptitiously exported from the port. After persistent protests and public pressure, Karnataka Chief Minister Yeddyurappa, who was balancing political considerations with control of corruption, admitted to an illegal iron-ore export racket at Belekeri Port involving 35 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore. It is said that the scam was worth an estimated 60,000 crore rupees (US$12 billion).