Sand smugglers threaten to kill tehsildar in Odisha

Sand smugglers have allegedly issued death threats to a tehsildar, when he seized two tractor trolleys engaged in illegally lifting sand from Brahmani river in Odisha's Jajpur district, police said.

The sand mafia also took away the two tractor trolleys which had been seized by the Tehsildar of Rasulpur, Jyotikanta Bhujabal on Monday, police said.

The tehsildar filed a complaint with Kuakhia police on Monday night.

According to the complaint, the tehsildar was going to Bandhadiha village to assess property loss in an incident of fire when he noticed that some trucks and tractors were lifting sand illegally at Karajanga ghat of Brahmani river.

When Bhujabal stopped his vehicle near the ghat, two sand-laden trucks fled from the scene and he managed to seize two sand-laden tractor trolleys.

When I made the seizure, four youths started abusing me. They forcibly took away the sand-laden vehicles after issuing death threats to me, Bhujabala said in his complaint.

The tehsildar has named four persons in his complaint