CBI conducts searches in UP & Uttarakhand in illegal sand mining case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Tuesday morning, conducted searches at 11 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand including Saharanpur, Dehradun and Lucknow in connection with an illegal sand mining case. 

CBI searched in January too

However, this is not the first time that the CBI is conducting searches in the case. According to reports, searches were conducted at 12 places in the districts of Hamirpur, Jalon, Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow and Delhi, in January this year. According to sources, the case reopened and the present move came after the body registered a fresh FIR in connection with the allocation of leases in Saharanpur.

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The agency had got their hands on incriminating materials pertaining to illegal sand mining, including huge cash and gold. It has been alleged that government officials along with private individuals had allocated some illegal mining sites by flouting rules and regulations between the year 2012 and 2016. Mining rights were also given in violation of NGT orders.

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Many ministers to come under the scanner

According to CBI sources, all those who served as Ministers during that time are also going to come under the scanner. Additionally, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who held the charge of the mining ministry between 2012 to July 2013 is also expected to come under the CBI scanner in the ongoing probe.

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The investigation first started in 2016 when CBI had conducted a probe in the case on orders from the Allahabad High Court. The cases of illegal mining were recorded from seven districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely, Shamli, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Deoria, Saharanpur, Hamirpur, and Siddharthnagar.

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(With ANI Inputs)