Man arrested in Punjab for illegal mining of river sand

Punjab Police on Friday said they have arrested a man alleged to be a kingpin of a gang involved in illegal sand mining surrounding Sutlej river.

The accused has been identified as Gurinder Singh alias Ginda, a resident of Bhourla village in Samrala tehsil of Ludhiana district, and the police has seized four illegal country made weapons, ammunition and a car from him, a state government release said.

The government has launched a crackdown against persons indulging in illegal mining that has caused ecological damage and revenue loss to the state.

Giving further details, the release quoting Enforcement Director (Mining) R N Dhoke, said that they had received a tip-off about some unscrupulous elements involved in illegal mining in Rahon area of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district.

Following the tip-off, the information was later shared with SSP Khanna Gursharandeep Singh Grewal to take stern action against the violators.

The officer said the SSP formed a team, led by Inspector Rajesh Thakur and SHO Machhiwara Sahib, who set up a checkpoint near Rahon river bridge in Machhiwara and apprehended Gurinder Singh with illegal weapons and his car.

He said Gurinder is allegedly the kingpin of a gang operating in Rahon area.

“Gurinder Singh is a hardcore criminal and wanted in many cases of murder and robbery in Punjab and Gujarat,” he said.

After his arrest, Gurinder revealed that he was doing illegal mining with Raju Gujjar, a resident of Ratnana in Rahon area, and Karanvir Singh alias Kavi from Samrala along with others in the riverbed of Sutlej in Rahon area, the officer added.

Further, Dhoke said that Gurinder is also wanted in a high-profile murder case in Gujarat where along with two others, he allegedly killed one Ashish Maharaj, who had a property dispute with local dhaba owners there.  A criminal case has been registered against them in Mandvi Police Station in the western state.

Gurinder is being questioned for his links with other criminals in the region and with the suppliers of illegal weapons in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.