Srinagar: Police on Sunday seized 12 vehicles allegedly involved in the illegal extraction and transportation of minor minerals during two separate operations in the Kunzer area of Baramulla district.
According to a police statement, a team from Kunzer Police Station, acting on specific information, seized five tippers loaded with illegally extracted clay and a JCB excavator allegedly used for illegal mining.
In a separate operation during routine patrolling at Hardbani, police intercepted six tractors transporting boulders allegedly extracted from Ferozpora Nallah without authorisation. Police said four drivers identified themselves, while two others fled the spot, abandoning their vehicles.
According to the statement, none of the drivers was able to produce valid permission for extraction or transportation of the minerals, and they admitted that the boulders had been extracted from Ferozpora Nallah.
Overall, police seized five tippers, one JCB excavator and six tractors during the two operations.
An FIR (No. 91/2026) has been registered at Kunzer Police Station under the relevant provisions of law, and an investigation has been initiated to identify all those involved and ascertain the extent of the alleged illegal mining network, police said.
