Six held in Bihta for illegal sand mining

Patna: Six members of a gang allegedly involved in illegal sand mining and extortion were arrested on Monday from the Sone riverine area under Bihta police station on the outskirts of Patna.

The accused were identified as Chhotu Kumar, Biteshwar Kumar, Satyam Kumar, Aakash Kumar, Rohit Kumar and Vikash Kumar. Police said they were members of the Anish Kumar gang, which has been active in the Amnabad area along the Sone river.

During the operation, led by city SP (west) Bhanu Pratap Singh, police seized a .315 bore semi-automatic rifle, a country-made pistol, 49 live cartridges and five cellphones.

Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said, “On seeing the policemen, the gangsters started fleeing on boats. The personnel chased them on a boat and nabbed all six accused.”

A manhunt has been launched for their associates. Police said just last month, four people were arrested from the same locality with an AK-47 rifle for their alleged involvement in illegal sand mining.