Two held for illegal sand mining from Palar river in Tirupattur

Two persons were arrested by Kandali police for illegal sand mining from the dry river bed of Palar at Natham village near Jolarpet town in Tirupattur on Tuesday. 

Police said the arrested persons were identified as G. Vijay (27) and J. Murali (41), residents of Jolarpet town. Based on an alert, a special police team was patrolling Natrampalli - Tirupattur Main Road on the outskirts of Jolarpet town. The team tried to stop Vijay, who was driving the lorry loaded with sand but they were unable to.

However, police chased him and cornered the vehicle some distance away on the stretch. The team checked the vehicle and found illegal river sand. Initial inquiry revealed that he illegally mined sand from the river bed of Palar along the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) to sell it for private contractors in the town.

A case has been registered. Along with him, another suspect, Murali, a driver of earthmover, was also arrested. Police seized a lorry with sand and an earthmover. The duo were lodged in sub-jail in Tirupattur town. A probe is underway.