Illegal sand mining in Mahaweli:

Police look on as gang abducts arrestees and vehicles

Indika POLKOTUWA and Asela KURULUWANSA

Seventeen suspects arrested by Police with nine tractors for mining sand illegally in the Mahaweli river at Wigamuwa, Dunawilapitiya were later abducted by an organized gang from the same place.

This gang has taken away the tractors used to transport mined sand too. This organized gang has threatened police officers and abducted the person who were engaged in illegal sand miners with the tractors few minutes after they were taken into custody.

More than 20 police officers attached to the Maha Oya and Dehiattakandiya Police stations in the Ampara Police division had carried out this raid.

The organized gang has come to the scene when the police officers were about to take the suspects and the tractors to the Police station. The Police have identified that several persons running illegal sand mining operations among the gang. According to Matale SSP Thilak Abeysiriwardena, Police have subsequently arrested two members of the gang.

Investigations are being carried out under the instructions of Central Province Senior DIG Gamini Navaratne and DIG Pujith Jayasundera.