Nagpur/Gondia: The district of Gondia is blessed with natural beauty and abundant mineral wealth is available here. The Wainganga River is very important among the major rivers of the district which bring sand and hence illegal sand mining is done here on a large scale. Some white-collar sand smugglers are illegally excavating sand and minor minerals are being stolen from Wainganga River ghat located in Saitola under Davaniwada Police Station area.
On getting concrete information about this, a special team of the District Superintendent of Police took a major action between 3 am and 6.30 am on December 5 and arrested 10 sand smugglers and seized 2 Poclain machines, 4 tippers, 20 brass sands from the spot. Goods worth Rs 2.15 crore have been recovered during the action.
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28 April 2025
With this decisive action, the police have exposed many white-collar faces involved in this illegal sand mining and smuggling of minor minerals. In this operation tipper number MH 35/AH 1499 driver Amar (31) resident of Dandegaon/Akodi, and tipper owner Ashish (37) of Kudwa Gondia, Tipper number MH-35A. J. 5699 driver Mahesh (35), resident of Nilagondi, Tipper number MH-35 AJ 7299 and its driver Rameshwar (36) r/o Navegaon, Dhapewada, Tipper Number MH-35 AJ 2906, its driver Dinesh (40) r/o Navegaon, Dhapewada and tipper owner- Prakash (55) of Marartoli have been caught in the case of theft of minor minerals while carrying out illegal sand mining.
Similarly, driver Yashwant (35) resident of Tiroda and driver – Ravindra (26), resident Lohara, Salegaon) of 2 Poclain machines were caught while illegally excavating sand by black yellow Hyundai Smart Plus Robex Poclain machine on the banks of river Wainganga in village Sitola, Taluka Amgaon. The owner of Poclain machine Lakhan (36) resident of Palchowk, Gondiaand owner of Poclain machine – Sarfaraz (35) resident of Sales Tax Colony, Gondia, were rounded up from Sai Tola Wainganga River ghat for illegally excavating sand.
An offence under Sections 379, 109 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against accused numbers 1 to 6 and 7 to 10 at Davaniwada police station. The total value of the seized 4 tippers and two Poclain machines and 20 brass sand is being told as Rs 2.15 crore.
The said action was carried out under the guidance and leadership of Sub Divisional Police Officer Deori Devlekar by Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pingle and Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Bankar, Sub-Inspector of Special Police Squad Mangesh Wankhede, Police Constables Sujit Halmare, Mahesh Mehar, Police Captain Shaileshkumar Ninave, Constables Sunny Chaurasia, Daya Gharat.
-Ravi Arya
