In a bid to take control over an embankment of Mahanadi for sand lifting at Semila under Rengali
police limits bordering Chhattisgarh, as many as
nine goons, engaged by a sand mafia, came in three
cars and burnt a sand lifting vehicle and a motorbike and fled from the spot late on Friday night.
They first intimidated the driver of the sand lifting
vehicle brandishing gun
at him.
After liencened sand lifter Surendra Behera lodged an FIR in this regard, the
police nabbed the nine miscreants and seized six live ammunitions, two knives and one loaded magazine pistol from them.
According to primary investigation, the prime accused is one Debaraj Barik of the same Semlia village.
Notably, Sand mafias of Chhattisgarh are very active in the bordering area. Two revenue officials had been seriously injured by sand mafias on April 6.