Aurangabad, Feb 13:
A team of the Revenue Department seized stock of 100 brass sand excavated from Godavari basin at Nevergaon in Gangapur tehsil on Sunday.
The Revenue Department received information that sand is being excavated illegally from Gangapur and Newasa (Ahmednagar) from river basins through a boat.
The stock of sand was kept behind Sankateshwar Mandir at Newargaon.
On the basis of the information, the squad of Revenue Department of Nayab tehsildar Avinash Ankush inspected the area through a drone camera. The squad saw a big sand stock kept near the mandir.
The team raided the spot and conducted panchanama. It seized 100 brass of sand, an estimated value of Rs 6 lakh, and four cranes being used for digging.
According to details, the sand mafia excavates sand from river water flow in Newasa and Gangpur tactfully through
a vacuum machine with the help of a boat.
When the team of Newasa is seen, the mafia takes their boat to Gangapur jurisdiction and vice versa.
Nayab tehsildar Avinas Ankush said that sand is being lifted through vacuum machine which was recorded in cameras of Revenue Department, but, mafia left the from the river.
“If any such boat is found lifting sand from the river in Gangapur jurisdiction next time, it will be blown through gelatin,” he added.