Illegally stockpiled sand worth lakhs seized in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, none apprehended

A late-night raid led by Mayurbhanj police and administrative officials, including the tehsildar, led to the discovery and subsequent seizure of large quantities of illegally stocked sand at the Balighat area of Bazarpur under Kaptipada tehsil limits of the district on Monday.

Details of the Operation:

Sources said that the tehsildar received a tip-off following which he sought the assistance of Kaptipada police. A joint operation was then undertaken last night under which the authorities gheraoed the area and found more than 50 trips worth of illegally stocked sand, estimated to be worth around Rs 2 lakh.

None Apprehended:

Notably, police were unable to apprehend any person or vehicle responsible for the hoarding of sand. As such, authorities then proceeded to seize the sand and transported it to another location under the administration’s custody.

“We found large stockpiles of sand being stocked in Kaptipada and subsequently informed the IIC. During the operation, we were unable to apprehend any accused so it was decided to transport the sand to the administrative premises. The mining department will then take a call on the matter,” said Kaptipada Tehsildar, Ashish Kumar Mohapatra.

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Police Response:

Meanwhile, the Kaptipada police station in charge has assured that those involved in the illegal sand trafficking will be arrested soon. He also stated that the breakthrough came after several reports of illegal sand mafias extracting sand unlawfully from the river, stockpiling it, and later selling it.

“The sand has been seized and will be auctioned soon. The revenue generated from it will then be deposited in the state government’s treasury. Although no person or vehicle was apprehended today, we are hopeful of nabbing those accused in illegal sand transporting soon,” said Kaptipada IIC Prakash Ratha.