Goons disrupt authorities and recover confiscated sand truck in Thiruvannamalai, dump sand to block chase – Tamil Nadu News

A group of bandits allegedly obstructed authorities and recovered a truck confiscated during a raid on illegal sand mining in Perumbakkam, leading to a police investigation.

Following reports that several trucks were illegally transporting sand to the construction site and selling it for between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, during a search on Monday, November 25, officers identified a Taurus truck transporting sand without the necessary permits. The truck allegedly used to transport sand meant for agricultural purposes, and illegal transport of construction sand was found.

Authorities gave chase to the vehicle, which failed to stop and passengers poured sand onto the road, creating obstacles.

As the pursuit continued, another group of men on motorcycles arrived and came dangerously close to the authorities’ vehicle in an attempt to disrupt them. One official who had entered the truck to check permits was forced to jump out when the truck suddenly stopped, then turned around and fled. The officers recorded the entire incident on camera.

After the incident, a complaint was filed with the Western District Police Headquarters. Two persons, identified as Karthi and Manikandan, were arrested on charges of obstruction and illegal sand mining.

Police have launched an investigation to trace other people involved in the operation.

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court, while hearing petitions relating to illegal sand mining and illegal brick kilns in Coimbatore’s Perur taluk on Wednesday, warned of ordering a CBI probe if the state government fails to take action. A special division bench comprising Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy expressed concern over the alleged collusion of officials with the ‘sand mafia’ and observed that sand was extracted to a depth of up to 5 meters near the reserve forests without any action.