Truck loaded with smuggled sand seized, driver escapes

Trichy: A tipper truck loaded with four units of sand was stopped and seized on suspicion of illegal sand mining and transportation, on Wednesday.According to sources, a team from the department of geology and mining, was conducting vehicle checks on the Trichy-Dindigul Road on Wednesday afternoon, when they stopped a tipper truck.The officials noticed that the truck was carrying at least four units of sand and questioned the driver about the destination and the documents for transporting the material.While the investigation was underway, the driver, identified as Mathi, suddenly got down from his cabin and escaped.The department team seized the truck and took it to the Edamalaipatti Pudur police station.Police registered a case under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with Section 21 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, for sand theft and illegal transportation.Police suspect that the sand was illegally mined near Manapparai and was being transported in the truck. They are now searching for the individuals involved in the smuggling.