Mumbai: 4 Booked for Attempting to Steal 9,200 Kg of Sand From Versova Beach

The Versova Police have booked four individuals for allegedly attempting to steal sand from the Versova jetty shore in Andheri. The accused have been identified as Javed Sabarmulla, Aman Shaikh, Appu Sahani, and Sainath Kasbe. According to police, the gang was trying to illegally extract nearly 9,200 kilograms of sand, reportedly for a builder.

The theft attempt was thwarted by a patrolling team of the Versova Police on Tuesday morning. Around 8 am, the police team noticed suspicious digging activity along the shoreline. Upon approaching the site, they found four men engaged in sand excavation.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had already filled 400 sacks of sand loaded on seven fibre boats, with work underway to fill another 108 sacks. The police immediately took all four into custody for questioning.

During the raid, the police seized a significant amount of material from the site, including seven fibre boats, 400 filled sand sacks, seven digging forks, and empty sacks—collectively worth several lakhs of rupees. Investigators found that the stolen sand was meant to be sold to a construction contractor.

A case has been registered against the accused under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable laws related to theft and illegal extraction of natural resources. After initial interrogation, all four were served legal notices and released.