Mohammad Selim, Munshiganj
Law enforcement agencies have conducted a drive in the Guagachia area of Gazaria Upazila in Munshiganj on the Meghna River to stop illegal sand mining. Various equipment, including locally made pistols, bullets, and knives, were recovered during the operation. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, May 21, the Gazaria Upazila administration held a press conference to present the details of the operation. A press conference organized by the Upazila Administration and the Coast Guard at the Upazila Parishad conference room announced that 3 bulkheads carrying sand and 3 dredgers, along with 8 people, were seized in the operation. During this time, a dredger was searched and 1 locally made pistol, 1 round of bullets, 7 mobile phones and 25,866 taka in cash were recovered. Regarding the matter, Gazaria Upazila Executive Officer Md. Ashraful Alam said, ‘Illegal sand mining is a big problem for Gazaria. Since I came to this upazila, I have been trying to stop illegal sand mining. This campaign is a continuation of that. Our campaign will be further strengthened in the coming days. “The bulkheads and bulkhead workers arrested in the operation will be sentenced through mobile courts. Regular cases will be filed in the case of the seized dredger, weapons and knives recovered.” Gazaria Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Mamun Sharif, who led the operation, said, “We have been receiving information about various crimes including illegal sand mining and robberies on the Meghna River in Gazaria Upazila for a long time.” An armed group had been committing these crimes for a long time. For these crimes, we conducted a raid in the Guagachia area of the Meghna River on Tuesday, May 20 at around 10 pm. In the raid, 8 people, 3 bulkheads and 3 dredgers were seized. At that time, a dredger was searched and 1 country-made pistol, 1 round of bullets, 7 mobile phones and 25,866 taka in cash were recovered. Sensing the presence of the expedition team, several people jumped from the bulkhead and dredger into the river and escaped. Regarding the matter, Coast Guard Lieutenant BM Tanzimul Islam said, ‘Our operation was ongoing from 10pm on Tuesday to early Wednesday morning. “Some terrorists sensed our presence and escaped. We will continue our activities until the activities of illegal sand miners are stopped.”