1 arrested a day after firing upon police by sand mafia

Panna, Mar 11: Police on Sunday arrested a man in connection with the firing on the police team which had intercepted illegal sand mining in Chandipatha on Saturday. He was identified as Kuber Singh.

"We have taken into custody Kubar Singh from the area where illegal sand mining was going on," said Panna's Superintendent of Police, Anil Maheshwari, talking to PTI.

"The police, after taking control of the area, also removed the temporary bridge erected by the mafia for transporting sand," the SP said.

The men engaged in illegal excavation opened fire on the team headed by Ajaygarh sub-divisional magistrate Nathuram Goud and sub divisional police officer Jagannath Singh Markam in Chandipatha, about 70-80 km from the district headquarters.

The miners eventually escaped. Police found that a make-shift bridge had been constructed over River Ken for transporting the sand to the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. The issue of illegal mining in Madhya Pradesh has come into focus following the murder of IPS officer Narendra Kumar Singh in Morena district last week.

PTI