Police raid illegal sand mining site; seize equipment

Bantwal: Police conducted a raid at on an illegal sand extraction site at Badagabellur in Mullarapatna on the banks of river Phalguni on Sunday November 4^th. The police have also seized huge quantity of sand, two country boats, a hitachi and 9 tippers used for sand extraction and transportation. The total seized assets are estimated to be worth around Rs 58 lakh.

The Bantwal police conducted the raid based on a tip-off on illegal sand-mining occurring at Phalguni River. The police team was headed by ASP Rishikesh Sonavane (Bantwal Sub-Division) and Bantwal Inspector TD Nagaraj.

When the police team reached the location, they found men engaged in the extraction of sand. However, those who were engaged in sand mining managed to escape from the spot, leaving behind their boats and other equipments.

The seized sand and vehicles have been handed over the Department of Mines and Geology for further action.