Mangaluru: In a crackdown on illegal sand transportation, Kankanady Town police have confiscated a pickup truck loaded with sand and a scooter suspected to be escorting the vehicle. The operation took place during an early morning patrol on July 29.
Sub-inspector Shivakumar, while conducting a routine vehicle check near Chapel Church Road, Adankudru, spotted the suspicious pickup around 6:30 AM. The driver, upon noticing the police, abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
A short while later, police detained Naushad Ali, the rider of a scooter tailing the pickup. Upon interrogation, Ali confessed that he was accompanying the truck, which was being driven by Sunil D’Souza. The duo had allegedly extracted sand illegally from the Nethravathi River banks in the Adankudru area.
Since the transportation was being carried out without paying royalty to the government, the authorities seized the sand, the pickup vehicle, and the scooter used in the operation.
Police have launched further investigations to track down the absconding driver and uncover the full scope of the illegal sand trade in the region.