Odisha mining officer, police jump into river to catch sand mafias, 5 vessels seized

The influence of the sand mafia continues to grow in the Nilagiri block of Balasore district. However, in a dramatic turn of events, a group of sand mafias allegedly jumped into a river and escaped arrest during a surprise raid near Singhiri village of Nilagiri, on Tuesday.

Also Read: Sand mafia ambushes Odisha Police, release seized tractor at knifepoint

A mining officer and a team of local police also jumped into the Sona River to chase the sand mafias while they were attempting to stop the theft of the minor mineral.

According to sources, illegal sand extraction was being carried out in the Sona River with the help of vessels. When a joint team of mining officials and police arrived at the site to take action, the sand mafias, in a desperate attempt to escape, jumped into the river. The wrongdoers managed to flee, but five vessels have been seized in the raid.

While the accused managed to flee, authorities were able to seize at least five vessels used in the illegal sand quarrying. This incident has raised serious concerns over law enforcement vulnerabilities and the daring nature of criminal elements involved in sand smuggling.

A probe is underway, and efforts to identify and apprehend the culprits are going on.

“We have seized five vessels, which have been kept under Nilagiri police custody. Some local residents had complained a few days ago. Acting on the complaint and a directive of the Mining Officer, we carried out a raid leading to the seizure of five vessels,” junior mining officer (JMO) of Nilagiri, Jitendra Das, expressed to OTV when contacted.

“A plan was hatched yesterday along with Nilagiri Police Station IIC, and accordingly, the raid was conducted today. I and Havildar Santosh Rout swam in the river covering a distance of around a kilometre and a half and chased the mafias,” the junior mining officer stated.