The people in Gujiliamparai area chased away illegal sand miners who were lifting sand from a graveyard near Pungaiyaru stream, leaving buried bodies on the ground in the process, in the early hours of Saturday.
On seeing mutilated bodies near the stream on Friday morning, the local people brought the area under their watch.
In the early hours of Saturday, they saw illegal sand miners trying to lift sand from the graveyard.
They had already left a buried body on the ground. When the people rushed to the area, the sand miners ran away leaving their tractor there.
Acting on a complaint, Revenue Department officials seized the tractor.
When contacted, Vedasandur Tahsildar Rasikala said stern action would be taken against illegal sand lifters. The registration of the vehicles used for illegal sand mining would be cancelled, she added.