Nanded, October 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Police in Maharashtra’s Nanded district have seized and destroyed equipment and materials valued at ₹3.15 crore in a crackdown on illegal sand mining along the Godavari river, officials said on Sunday.
The operation was conducted on October 16 on the instructions of Nanded Superintendent of Police Neelabh Rohan. Led by Sub-Divisional Police Officer Manik Bendre, teams from Nanded Rural, Airport and Mudkhed police stations carried out coordinated raids at multiple illegal sand extraction sites along the riverbed.
According to the police, nine large iron boats, each valued at ₹30 lakh and worth ₹2.70 crore collectively, were destroyed using controlled explosions with gelatin sticks after the required documentation was completed at the sites.
A smaller boat valued at ₹15 lakh and a sand extraction engine worth ₹3.5 lakh were also destroyed.
The operation further targeted 23 floating rafts, each valued at ₹50,000, and 58 brasses of illegally extracted sand. The rafts and sand, together valued at an estimated ₹14.40 lakh, were destroyed by burning and immersion in the river.
Police also seized a tipper truck carrying two brasses of sand, with the vehicle’s load valued at ₹12.10 lakh.
The total value of the seized and destroyed equipment and material was estimated at ₹3.15 crore, the police said.
Proceedings to register cases under various legal provisions, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), have been initiated at Nanded Rural, Mudkhed and Airport police stations.
The operation was supervised by Police Inspectors Ashok Jadhav, Ganesh Karad and Ramdas Shendge, along with their respective teams.
Police said special drives would continue to curb illegal mining, protect the Godavari river ecosystem and prevent losses to government revenue.
FOLLOW NOW
