Keonjhar, May 18: In a major crackdown on illegal sand mining and smuggling, the Keonjhar Police Special Squad on Monday conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations across Keonjhar district.

Police teams carried out mega raids at nearly 12 locations in Anandpur, Ghasipura, Hatadihi and Ghatgaon areas, targeting the hideouts and residences of suspected sand mafia operators. The operation, which began at around 5 AM, is still underway.

During the raids, police seized more than Rs 25 lakh in cash and confiscated over 30 vehicles allegedly used for illegal sand transportation. Officials also recovered several bank passbooks, insurance documents and multiple forged papers suspected to have been used for illegal sand transit.

Raids are continuing at the houses of several accused persons, including Ratikanta Rout, Santosh Nayak, Jogendra Behera and Gurubrat Khandei under Nandipada police limits in Hatadihi block. Searches were also conducted at the residence of alleged sand mafia kingpin Rajaprabhu Das in Anandpur area.

Similarly, police teams raided the houses of Ajit Prusti, Sudar Sahu and Shantanu Nayak in Dhakotha village under Ghasipura police station. Investigations are also underway at the residences of Soumya Ranjan Mahapatra of Biragobindpur village and Santosh Nayak of Amarang village.

Police sources said illegal sand mining and smuggling had been continuing in the district for a long time, causing huge revenue losses to the government through the use of forged documents. Officials stated that verification of seized documents is underway and more arrests are likely in the coming days.

The large-scale operation has triggered discussions across the district, with many hoping that the crackdown will curb illegal mining and sand smuggling activities in the region.