Police defy political pressure, crack down on illegal sand mining

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Phulambri police seized a 10-wheeler truck illegally transporting sand from the Girija River basin in Pal around 5 pm on Saturday, resisting intense political pressure to release the vehicle.

Despite the unchecked sand mining in the Girija and Wakod river basins and alleged inaction by the Revenue Department, newly appointed API Raghuveer Murade took firm action. The seized truck(MH-BV-3777), loaded with 6 brass of sand worth Rs 30,000, along with the Rs 13 lakh vehicle, amounted to a total seizure of Rs 13.3 lakh. Following the crackdown, political forces attempted to intervene, pressuring the police to drop the case. However, the officers stood their ground and registered an FIR against truck owner Gajanan Bodkhe and driver Gajanan Bhopale (Dongargaon Kavad) under relevant legal sections. The investigation is being led by PI Sanjay Sahane, with Constable Ramesh Sonune handling further inquiries.