Maha: Raid at illegal sand mining unit, 17 boats destroyed

The police received information that some people were running an illegal sand extraction unit in the Bhima river basin near Shirpur village in Daund tehsil, Deputy Superintendent of Police Rahul Dhas said. "Accordingly, a raid was conducted during which nine fibre boats, eight suction boats, a backhoe machine and 30 brass sand extracted from the river basin, collectively worth Rs 2.36 crore, were seized," he said.

Police conducted a raid at an illegal sand mining unit in Maharashtra's Pune district on Monday and destroyed 17 boats engaged in sand extraction from the Bhima river basin, an official said. The police received information that some people were running an illegal sand extraction unit in the Bhima river basin near Shirpur village in Daund tehsil, Deputy Superintendent of Police Rahul Dhas said.

"Accordingly, a raid was conducted during which nine fibre boats, eight suction boats, a backhoe machine and 30 brass sand extracted from the river basin, collectively worth Rs 2.36 crore, were seized," he said. Around 11 people who were working at the unit fled from the spot, he said.

"We have detained a driver who was operating the backhoe machine," the official said. All the seized boats were destroyed with the help of the revenue department, he said.

"We are in the process of registering a case against those involved in the illegal extraction of sand from the river basin," he added..