Coimbatore: A 46-year-old daily wage labourer was arrested in suburbs of Coimbatore on Tuesday night for sand smuggling. Recently the district collector passed an announcement of invoking the Goondas Act against sand smugglers in Coimbatore, those who frequently get involved in smuggling sand from Noyal river in suburbs.
Night patrolling was intensified to nab sand smugglers. On Tuesday night police received a tipoff that local people from Narasipuram were involved in sand smuggling near Alandurai.
Acting on the information Perur deputy Dhasildhar Shanmugam along with a team of police from Alandurai rushed to the spot. On seeing police, people involved in loading river sand in tempo made an attempt to run. Police chased them and arrested one among them, who was identified as Shanmugam, 46, daily wages labourer belonging to the same area. Police seized the tempo along with the sand.
Police later rushed to Karunya Nagar Noyal River check dam on receiving a tipoff that another gang had involved in sand smuggling. Seeing the police the gang ran and escaped into nearby forest area. Police seized the bullock cart used for sand smuggling and a bike belong to the sand smugglers. Further investigations are on.
