Kundapur: 11 arrested for illegal sand mining in Varahi River

Mangalore Today News Network

Kundapur, Feb 11, 2026: In a major crackdown on illegal sand mining, police raided a site near the Kandlur Bridge on the Varahi river in the early hours of Tuesday, February 10, and arrested 11 persons.

The arrested have been identified as site supervisor Ajmal and labourers Ramashankar Rajbir (35), Ram Kumar (40), Govinda Chaudhary (26), Shivamuni (32), Junna Rajbir (35), Satyadeva (30), Kamalesh Nishad (35), Santosh Nishad (23), Om Prakash Rajbhar (34), and Ramesh Rajbhar (35).

During the operation, police seized four boats valued at around Rs 3 lakh and approximately three-and-a-half units of sand worth about Rs 4,500.

According to police sources, the owner of the sand dock, Sunil Shetty, and supervisor Ajmal allegedly instructed workers to extract and transport sand illegally by crossing designated geo-fencing boundaries, in violation of official regulations.

Acting on credible information, the Kundapur police conducted the raid and took the accused into custody. A case has been registered at the Kundapur Rural Police Station, and further investigation is underway.