Six more WhatsApp group admins under scanner in sand theft case

Nagpur: Six more WhatsApp group admins are on the radar of the Nagpur rural police for allegedly facilitating operations in the Bhiwapur sand theft and fake royalty case. Already, stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) has been slapped on three group admins.Sources said sand mafia tracked police movements in real time through alerts on WhatsApp groups. The members received information about police deployment, checkpoints and vigil at authorised sand ghats. The groups helped the mafia choose escape routes, avoid raids and continue illegal sand extraction. Around 10 such groups are reportedly active, with police trying to identify more.The alleged kingpin, Kallu Khan, also known as Mohammad Eenajul, was arrested recently along with his associates after police intercepted a sand-laden tipper and a scout vehicle near Bhiwapur. MCOCA provisions were invoked against Khan and his nine-member gang. Khan has a history of attempted murder cases. A video in which Khan is seen warning ghat owners who opposed him and boasting about his firepower has gone viral.Police are focusing on technical evidence, call records and group chats to build an airtight case. SP, Nagpur Rural, Harssh A Poddar, said the video and digital evidence will be corroborated thoroughly. "Their contents will be added to the charge sheet to make the cases even stronger under MCOCA," he said.The rural police under Poddar have invoked MCOCA against four sand mafia gangs so far. This action is being seen as a first-of-its-kind use of MCOCA against sand mafia in the region. Under MCOCA, the accused face stricter bail conditions and longer imprisonment if convicted.Addl SP Anil Mhaske and the local crime branch team, led by senior API Mane, are pursuing several leads to crack the wider network.The mafia threatened and assaulted owners of authorised sand ghats. Sand thefts from the ghats led to huge losses for the state exchequer. Misuse of GPS trackers, fake royalty papers, duplicate number plates and royalty thefts are common tactics. Authorised ghat owners too are suffering major financial setbacks as illegal sand floods the market at lower prices.The mafia also caused significant environmental damage, including river erosion and groundwater depletion across Vidarbha.