Police in Nagpur, India, arrested a man for illegally mining sand from a river.
As Nagpur Trends reported, New Kamptee police seized the arrested man's vehicle, which was loaded with sand and excavation tools. The seized items were worth over $7,000.
Prior to the arrest, police were patrolling a nearby road and stopped a suspicious truck. The driver couldn't provide documentation to justify the sand he was transporting. He and his accomplice had been illegally mining sand from a local waterway.
According to Nagpur Trends, "During questioning, [Kanthiram Yadav Meshram] admitted to illegally extracting sand from the Kanhan River with the help of his accomplice, Ramesh Pardhi, who is currently absconding."
Sand is an essential material in the construction industry. It is relatively easy to extract, requiring minimal investments and high profits.
However, illegal mining is a serious offense because it is unsafe and ignores environmental regulations that protect natural ecosystems. Mining sand from rivers, beaches, and marine environments destabilizes animal habitats, impacts aquatic life, and decreases biodiversity.
Without naturally occurring sand, riverbanks are more likely to erode, leading to flooding and damaged infrastructure. Increased sedimentation in rivers can also increase pollution levels and affect drinking water supplies.
In many rivers, ecosystems can't recover and thrive after harmful sand mining.
Fortunately, authorities are cracking down on illegal mining operations worldwide. For example, the Nigerien government raided an unlicensed mining site and arrested 33 suspected illegal miners. Drone footage has been exposing unregulated mining and helping authorities seize vehicles and supplies to stop these activities.
In other parts of India, police recently uncovered 11 cases of illegal sand mining and arrested 28 people in connection to the crimes, The Times of India reported. Earlier this year, a man was arrested for allegedly illegally selling sand in the open market and threatening employees at gunpoint while earning profits of over $2,000 a day, per the Hindustan Times.
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Definitely 👍 Following an illegal sand mining bust in Bhubaneswar that involved 123 arrests and 136 vehicle seizures, the Deccan Chronicle reported that police "vowed to maintain pressure on illegal mining networks, ensuring that the state's natural resources are protected from exploitation by organized crime."
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