Visakhapatnam Police seize 110 tonnes of sand, 28 litres of alcohol in raids

The Visakhapatnam Police, on Sunday and Monday, conducted raids across various locations in the city to track down illegal liquor hoarders and sand smugglers. The raids were conducted under the supervision of Additional S.P. Ajitha Vejendla, IPS, as per the orders by Visakhapatnam Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar Meena, IPS. The police seized 110.8 tonnes of sand and arrested 12 individuals as part of the raids. Nine cases were registered against the accused. In addition to the sand, the police also seized nine lorries, one tractor, and one trolley from the scene.

The police identified that one of the lorries was registered in Odisha. However, the accused couldn’t produce any documents for the vehicles or permissions from the Odisha Mining Department, resulting in the vehicle seizure. A receipt that was produced at Gajuwaka for supplying the sand illegally was also collected from the accused. The police identified that the available receipts were not issued by the Andhra Pradesh Mining Department, further confirming the smuggling racket. The police on-ground handed over the case to respective police stations after completing the necessary formalities.

During the two-day raids, Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) officials seized 11 liquor cases and arrested 11 accused for the illegal possession of alcohol. In the raids, 27.54 litres of alcohol and 5.2 litres of beer were seized along with a Swift DZire car, used by the accused. Cases were registered as per Section 34(A) of AP Excise Act 1968 in the concerned police stations, said an official note from the Assistant Commissioner of Police.