The mining mafia is not yet history in Bellary. If those dealing in illegal iron ore are on a downswing, those in illegal sand mining seem to be on an upswing.
A group of 150 people, part of the district’s illegal sand mafia, threw stones at a group of 45 policemen, including probationary deputy superintendent of police Vikram Amte and tahsildar Sharanappa.
Five police constables were injured in the attack.
Acting on a tip-off, the posse of policemen in plain clothes went to Kuntanal village on the bank of the river Hagari early on Tuesday.
The workers who were illegally extracting sand from the river bed attacked them with stones. Then the entire group fled the spot.
Police seized 27 tractors and five earthmovers that were left behind. However, no arrest has been made so far.
Superintendent of police Chetan Kumar Rathor said, “As the officers conducted the raid in plain clothes, the group might have failed to identify them as police and attacked them.”
The injured were treated at the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Science.
A case of illegal sand mining has been registered.
The next course of action, including arrests, will be initiated once the procedure regarding the seized vehicles is completed, the police said.