Police in Aluva have seized four engine-powered boats and a tipper lorry in a crackdown on alleged illegal sand mining in the Periyar river, and registered a case against 18 identifiable members of a suspected sand-smuggling group. The action followed the circulation of videos showing extensive night-time sand extraction near Aluva Manappuram.
The boats were seized from ghats in the Uliyannoor-Kunjunnikara area and taken to Manappuram, where they were destroyed using an earthmover, according to Mathrubhumi – Kochi. Police also took action against the tipper allegedly used to transport the sand.
The operation was carried out after visuals of night-time mining in and around Aluva Manappuram spread on social media in recent days. Aluva police have described the activity as widespread despite a ban on sand mining in the Periyar. Police said inspections would continue in the coming days.
Residents told the newspaper that unauthorised sand extraction has continued at different points along the river for years. They said local people and organisations had repeatedly raised protests and complaints, but alleged that effective action had not followed. These claims were reported as statements by local residents and were not independently verified in the supplied report.
Residents have also alleged that some officials share information about planned inspections with sand-mining groups. The allegation has not been established in the report. Local people have called for an investigation into the claims and for all groups involved in the alleged illegal mining network to be identified.
The sand extracted from the Periyar is locally known as “Aluva gold” and is transported to Kollam and Alappuzha districts, according to the report. A mini-truck load is priced from Rs 35,000, with the cost increasing for longer transport distances. The reported pricing indicates the commercial value of river sand in the local construction-material supply chain, although the police have not released an estimate of the quantity involved in the seized operation.
According to the report, sand is generally extracted at night and concealed at one of the river’s ghats before being loaded into lorries the following night. Migrant workers from other states are allegedly hired for the extraction work. The supplied report does not specify whether any workers were among those booked or detained.
The seizures place enforcement at the centre of a longer-running dispute over the Periyar’s protection and the control of construction-material extraction. The immediate police action has removed four boats and one lorry from the reported operation, while the wider allegations about recurring mining, information leaks and the involvement of multiple groups remain subject to investigation. Aluva Circle Inspector P.M. Shameer said inspections would continue in the coming days.
