Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) sleuths have recently arrested an authorised sand transporter on charges of diverting sand booked for construction of an apartment to the black market in various areas of the district. About 175 tonnes of sand, a truck and an earthmover used to excavate sand from a prohibited area have been seized. The illegal transportation and sale of sand were busted using GPS technology.
According to SEB ASP Vakul Jindal, a transporter named Venkata Rao who was supposed to deliver 288 tonnes of sand for a builder in Gollapudi from Eturu sand reach under Kanchikacherla police station limits allegedly diverted huge quantity of sand to multiple destinations using the same e-way bill. Police initially seized 25 tonnes of sand following a complaint on July 25, and upon examination of the GPS-enabled vehicle tracking system (VTS), they found that about 150 tonnes of sand was reportdly unloaded in six different locations illegally. Officials also found that sand was sourced by unauthorised digging beside Eturu reach.
“At five locations, sand had been sold for ₹50,000 per lorry for construction purposes to genuine consumers who couldn’t get sand otherwise. At one location in Kondapalli, the person who bought the sand was found to be selling it further in small tractors,” he said. The accused allegedly made a profit of around ₹3 lakh by selling the sand in the open market.
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The truck owner, his staff including the driver, earthmover operator and the person who sold sand in Kondapalli have also been booked.