Beltangady: Police raid illegal sand mining site, seize tipper and Hitachi machine

Mangalore Today News Network

Beltangady, January 10, 2026: The Beltangady police have raided an illegal sand mining site where sand was being extracted from a riverbank using a Hitachi machine without paying royalty to the government, and have registered a case in this connection.

Acting on credible information, the police conducted a raid on the morning of January 8 at a place called Gandibagilu in Kadirudyavara village. During the raid, it was found that sand was being illegally stolen from the banks of the Netravati river and loaded into a tipper lorry using a Hitachi machine for sale.

During the police action, the driver of the tipper lorry abandoned the vehicle and fled from the spot. The Hitachi operator, who was apprehended and questioned, identified himself as Mohammad Shameeruddin of Charmadi. He also informed the police that the absconding tipper driver was H. Haneef, also a resident of Charmadi.

Investigations revealed that the accused had been illegally mining and stealing sand from the same location for a long time, causing loss to the government exchequer.

The police seized a tipper lorry bearing registration number KA-41-C-0057, loaded with sand and valued at ₹3.5 lakh, and a DOOSAN Hitachi-150 machine valued at ₹2.5 lakh. A case has been registered at the Beltangady police station against the accused Mohammad Shameeruddin and H. Haneef, residents of Kakkinje village in Beltangady taluk, under relevant sections of law.