Police, Mining Department conduct raid along Sutlej, 4 nabbed

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 16

The Ludhiana police along with Mining Department officials conducted a big raid at Rajapur alongside the Sutlej where illegal mining of sand was going on.

The raid was conducted early this morning. Açcused after seeing the police party, tried to flee but four of them were caught by the police. The police also impounded four tippers and four poclain machines from the mining site. The SHO, Ladhowal, inspector Jasvir Singh, said six accused involved in the mining racket were identified as Davinder, Ramandeep, Jatinder, Lal Singh, Laddi and Lovepreet, all residents of Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Garhshankar. Of them, four were arrested.

Reportedly, some fake mining slips were also recovered from the spot which were used by drivers of tippers or tractor-trailers to befool the police.

Sources said illegal mining at the site was going on for a long time but the police and the Mining Department had failed to pay heed to the menace. Commissioner of Police Kaustubh Sharma said a thorough probe into the illegal mining racket would be initiated and the guilty would not be spared.

“We have arrested four accused in the case. Besides registering a case under the Mining Act, Section 420, IPC, has also been added to the FIR as fake mining slips were recovered from the accused,” the CP said.

When asked about the involvement of police or Mining Department officials, Sharma said a probe would be initiated and if any official was found involved, they would face the music. While talking about a rumour that the raid was conducted on the information given by Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains, the CP denied it and said it was conducted on a tip-off.

Tippers’ Association members meet CP

Members of Tippers’ Association late on Saturday evening met the Commissioner of Police and claimed that their tippers were wrongly impounded by the police. They said the police seized their empty tippers, which were parked near the dump only and not at the mining site at Rajapur.

Probe officials’ role, say Contractors

Some contractors said illegal mining was going on at the behest of corrupt officials of the mining and police departments. If the police seriously probed the matter, big names from both departments would crop up.

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