Undercover raid foils illegal mining in Panchkula; tractor-trolley seized

Panchkula: Police busted an illegal mining operation near Burj Kotian in the Amravati area and seized a tractor-trolley loaded with illegally extracted material.Officials said Amravati police post received a tip-off about illicit mining in a riverbed on Friday evening. To avoid alerting suspects — who often escape on spotting police vehicles — team adopted an undercover approach.Sub-inspector Pritam Singh, in-charge of the police post and a colleague borrowed a motorcycle from locals and reached the site in plain clothes, posing as commuters. The team managed to reach the spot without raising suspicion and caught the suspects red-handed.The tractor-trolley was seized and taken to the Amravati police post, and the mining department informed. Further legal action is under way.DCP Srishti Gupta said mining mafia often deploys informants to track police movement, necessitating surprise and covert operations. She warned that illegal mining would not be tolerated and such drives would continue.