9 booked for illegal mining in Fazilka

Our Correspondent

Fazilka, July 3

After a government crackdown on the sand mafia, at least nine persons have been booked for excavating sand illegally from different locations in six cases in the past two days in the district.

According to sources, Jagar Singh and Joginder Singh, residents of Gaganke village, Surinder Kumar, alias Chhinda, a resident of Noorshah, and at least six unidentified persons have been booked under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the Mining Act.

They have been booked for their involvement in illegal sand excavation from the new Salemshah panchayat, Saidoke Hithar, Salemshah, Gulam Rasool and other areas.

Their modus operandi was that they used to sell the sand to cart owners from midnight to 4 am. The cart owners further sold it in the town before sunrise. The suspects have been booked on the basis of statements of district and assistant district mining officers as some big potholes, which appeared after excavating the sand, were spotted in these areas by the officials.

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