Field day for sand miners as pandemic keeps cops busy

Since the lockdown, the Tiruvallur police have booked 155 sand mining and smuggling cases, and have arrested 123 persons till May 18. Also, 151 vehicles were seized from the smugglers, nearly half of them two-wheelers.

The smugglers have roped in youngsters from the villages including Tiruparuthikundram, Pillaiyarpalayam, Karuppadithattadai and Mullainagar, complain locals. “Smugglers know we would alert the police if any truck enters the village to reach the lake (to mine sand). So, youngsters are used to smuggle sand on two-wheelers,” said a villager.

Officials said Bangarampettai, Alathur and Gowdipuram villages in Tiruvallur and Putheri lake in Kancheepuram are some of the areas where the sand mining is rampant. As the vehicle movement is restricted, the smugglers opt for two-wheelers, earthmovers and even bullock carts to transport sand from the river beds to different construction sites. To evade the police, they pack sand in gunny bags to make it look like rice bags and transport them claiming it to be essential goods.

Another villager said sand mining was no longer a secret affair. “Ever since the lockdown came into effect, mining happens in broad daylight. These dug up pits pose a threat to the villagers in the night,” said the villager.

A senior officer from Kancheepuram police admitted that sand mining is on the rise as the personnel are deployed for COVID-related work. “However, we have intensified patrolling and increased checkposts in the past few weeks. Also, police officials visit lake beds as part of the patrolling,” said the officer.

Gummidipoondi Sipcot police recently seized two trucks carrying sand from Andhra Pradesh without valid documents and arrested the drivers.