A 50-year-old man was arrested by Atamangalam police for illegal sand mining in Miranda dam of Miranda Dam of Miranda Dam of Miranda dam of Miranda Dam dironing in Navapalayam Village on Thursday near Kalasapakkam town near Kalasapakkam.
Police said the arrested person has been identified as a resident of Nawaparaam village S. Kumaran. The injured deputy inspector was P. Nagarajan, 44.
The initial inquiry showed that a five-person police team led by Athamangalam policeman Si Nagarajan was patrolling complaints about illegal sand mining when the team used EarthMover to discover large amounts of sand mining in the dam area. The sand was uploaded to three tractors.
The team immediately grabbed the vehicle. When the arrested vehicle was escorted by police, Kumaran intercepted the police team and demanded the release of the seized vehicle. A consequent argument, Kumaran attacked the deputy inspector.
Videos of the incident spread on social media platforms, leading to public protests about the incident. Residents rescued the injured deputy inspector, who was admitted to the Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in Athamangalam Village. A case has been registered against Kumaran, who has at least 13 cases against him at various police stations in the area. He was arrested and lived in the Central Prison in Velor. Detection is underway.
Police said more than 100 illegal brick kilns operate near the dam area. Sand is illegally mined from bodies of water, and government land is used to operate these brick kilns. The new police station in Athamangalam village was established after the fork of Kadaladi police in February because the complainant had to travel at least 35 km before he could file a complaint with the Kadaladi police station earlier. Residents said the opening of the Athamangalam police station helped increase patrols in the area to oppose such illegal activities.
publishing – April 10, 2025 at 10:53 pm IST
