Nilagiri: In a brazen act of defiance against the law enforcement agencies, sand smugglers Thursday snatched away a seized sand-laden tractor from the custody of mining officials and police after brandishing sharp-edged weapons.
Sources said illegal sand mining from the Sone river in Nilagiri tehsil of Balasore district is on the rise, with smugglers often escaping raids after receiving prior information, leaving officials empty-handed. The incident occurred when Balasore’s junior mining officer Samit Kumar Mani and Nilagiri’s junior mining officer Bhitendra Kumar Das formed a special team and raided Tindesh village close to the Sone river over a tip-off of illegal sand lifting Thursday.
Police personnel accompanied them during the raid. They seized a tractor loaded with sand and started transporting it to Ayodhya police outpost.
Also Read: Junior Mining Officer critical in attack by sand mafia
However, before they could secure the vehicle, about 25 smugglers, including tractor owner Rajkumar Pradhan of Tindesh village, surrounded the officials near Pratappur Square.
The group, riding more than 15 motorcycles, threatened the mining officials by brandishing sharp-edged weapons at a constable on duty and forcibly took back the seized tractor. Following the incident, the Nilagiri junior mining officer filed a complaint at the local police station against the smugglers.