Major crackdown on sand mafia in Tamil Nadu as Enforcement Directorate raids over 40 locations
A senior Tamil Nadu police officer confirmed the extensive nature of the searches, spanning locations in Vellore, Tiruchi, Karur, Pudukottai, and beyond, encompassing sand sales depots and the offices and residences of sand mining contractors.
FollowIn a significant move, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated a coordinated search operation on Tuesday (September 12) targeting multiple locations suspected to be involved in a sand mining scandal across Tamil Nadu. These actions were triggered by allegations of money laundering and substantial tax evasion within the sand mining industry.
Teams of ED officials descended upon more than 25 locations, including sand mining sites and sales depots, to investigate the alleged money laundering activities associated with the sale of a substantial quantity of sand extracted from riverbeds. This sand is typically sold at designated depots or sales points managed by the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department.
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Under the established procedure, sand sales occur online through the Water Resources Department's website, and electronic receipts are issued at the depots. However, the crux of the allegations revolves around the significant offline sales of sand that have not been consistently recorded.
The ED's investigative efforts are focusing on whether the appropriate taxes were deposited into government accounts based on the electronic bills issued to thousands of lorry owners and operators.
Notably, the ED teams did not formally communicate their search operations, instead enlisting the support of the Central Armed Police Force to facilitate their investigations.
A senior Tamil Nadu police officer confirmed the extensive nature of the searches, spanning locations in Vellore, Tiruchi, Karur, Pudukottai, and beyond, encompassing sand sales depots and the offices and residences of sand mining contractors.
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In addition to these locations, the ED's searches extended to the premises of a chartered accountant, S Ramachandran, and a sand mining contractor named Rathinam, along with individuals associated with them, according to official sources.
