Illegal sand mining racket busted in Thane, machinery of Rs 90 lakh destroyed
Thane (PTI): Authorities in Maharashtra's Thane district have carried out a crackdown against illegal sand mining in Bhiwandi taluka and destroyed various equipment, including barges, collectively valued at around Rs 90 lakh, officials said on Saturday.
The revenue department carried out the operation in Kevani creek area on Friday based on a tip-off, an official release said.
"The revenue department took major action against the mafia involved in illegal sand mining in the Kevani Sand Port area. In this operation, property worth about Rs 80 to 90 lakh was destroyed," it said.
During the operation, led by District Collector Shrikrishna Panchal, authorities destroyed five suction units and eight barges allegedly used in extraction of sand. The equipment was burnt and the barges were sunk in the creek, resulting in heavy financial losses to those involved in illegal activities, it added.
The mafia had created 12 large storage tanks along the creek to stock illegally extracted sand. These tanks were demolished using three backhoe loader machines, the release said.
Authorities said the land used for storing the sand falls under the 'reserved forest' category.
"Since the activity was being carried out on reserved forest land, strict action will also be taken by the forest department and the Mangrove Conservation Unit," it said.
Personnel from Bhiwandi Rural police station were deployed during the operation to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident, the release added.
The district administration said it has intensified its campaign against illegal sand mining in recent months, with multiple cases registered and equipment seized in earlier drives.
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Delhi Police arrests sharpshooter, arms supplier linked to Kapil Sangwan gang
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has arrested a sharpshooter and an arms supplier linked to the Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang, and seized two country-made pistols and five live cartridges from their possession, officials said on Saturday.
The main accused, Sumit Punia (25), a resident of Mahendergarh in Haryana, was arrested in Dwarka with a country-made semi-automatic pistol and five live rounds, a senior police officer said.
During interrogation, police found that Sumit was absconding in a 2021 encounter case registered by the Special Cell, and had links with the Nandu gang, where he allegedly worked as a sharpshooter.
At his instance, police arrested the gang's alleged weapons supplier, Badar Islam (32), from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and recovered a country-made pistol from his possession, the officer said.
Police said the accused were part of a network supplying illegal firearms to members of the gang, which were used to threaten victims who resisted extortion.
According to investigators, Sumit, who joined the gang around 2020-21, was known to gangster Kapil Sangwan since childhood, as they belonged to neighbouring villages.
Earlier arrested in an arms case in Haryana, Sumit was involved in multiple criminal cases lodged in Delhi and Haryana.
Badar, who allegedly supplied weapons for quick money, has also been named in several criminal cases registered in Uttar Pradesh, police said.
The duo has been booked under the relevant sections of law, including the Arms Act, at the Crime Branch police station, the officer said.
