Navy continues operations to fight sand mining rackets
 

Going by the directives of H.E. the President and Chairman Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, initiatives have been undertaken to prevent illegal sand excavation and related activities on the banks of Mahaweli River, in close coordination with the Navy. Accordingly, a large number of sand mining racketeers have been taken into custody during joint operations conducted by the Navy and Police Special Task Force (STF) over the past couple of days.

Further, the Navy held 06 boats engaged in illegal sand mining in the Mahaweli River in Kandakadu area yesterday (28^th January). Besides, 02 lorries loaded with illegally mined sand have been seized by the Navy this morning (29^th January). Accordingly, the Navy managed to arrest 07 persons who engaged in this racket yesterday and today.

Meanwhile during another raid conducted this morning in Kandakadu area to arrest another group of people involved in sand mining, those racketeers along with people in the region have behaved aggressively to remonstrate with the Navy in an organized manner. On an attempt to apprehend the racketeers, 03 have jumped into the river and fled the scene. Operations are currently underway in search of the suspects who escaped the arrest.

Besides, naval troops had to fire two shots into the air to disperse the rampant crowd as the organized racketeers and residents behaved in an aggressive manner and attempted to attack on the naval personnel. The Police and STF personnel subsequently arrived on the scene and they are taking necessary action to get the situation under control.

The racketeers and crowd, who were raving in their conduct, had continued to brutally attack the naval personnel and STF officials who tried to bring the situation to normalcy.