Date | Jan 03, 2017:

Sand is the new sandalwood and ivory. That illegal sand smuggling has become one of the most notorious illegal businesses in recent years is known. It has now started affecting people in the village of the most famous sandalwood and ivory smuggler of them all: Veerappan.

The Male Mahadeshwara Hill police under whose jurisdiction the village of Gopinatham falls have booked seven persons for illegally transporting sand without valid licence. This is the same village in Kollegala taluk which became infamous as the birthplace of the poacher and smuggler.

Boopathi, 35 and Ramesha, 27 are two of the accused from Gopinatham. Though booked for smuggling sand and not ivory or sandalwood, they have one thing in common with Veerappan: giving the slip to the police. Even nearly a year after the case against them, the police are unable to arrest them. What is also common is that they are accused of mining and transporting sand from inside a forest area.

Approaching the High Court for anticipatory bail, the advocate of the two contended that “the police are making hectic efforts to arrest the petitioners without there being any reason.” They also claimed that they were innocent and “have no nexus with the alleged crime.”

The prosecution advocate informed the court that when forest department officials were patrolling at Koteyur forest area, they noticed a tractor loaded with sand. When they waylaid the tractor, one of the two persons in the tractor escaped. The police investigated the case and booked cases against seven persons of involvement in the crime. Boopathi and Ramesha’s advocate argued that there was an argument between them and the forest officials and the case was registered against them based on that incident and not because of the sand mining itself. The HC said that there was no harm in extending bail to the two by imposing conditions. The two accused were directed to appear before the police officer investigating the case within 20 days and execute a personal bond and provide surety.

(Source: http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/)