A mobile court in Raipur upazila of Laxmipur has sentenced a man to one month in prison and fined him Tk.50,000 for illegally extracting sand.
The anti-dredging drive was conducted in the Charkachia area of Charbangshi Union on Sunday afternoon to crack down on unauthorized sand mining which severely threatens local ecosystems and riverbanks.
Led by Raipur Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Mehedi Hasan Kausar, the mobile court caught the individual extracting sand using unauthorized equipment. Alongside the arrest, authorities seized an illegal dredger machine and approximately 4,000 feet of pipe both of which were destroyed on the spot to prevent further use.
Officers from the Raipur Police Station assisted the upazila administration in safely executing the operation.
The upazila administration issued a stern warning following the drive. Officials confirmed that routine campaigns against illegal sand extraction will continue in the public interest and strict legal action will be taken against anyone found operating unauthorized dredgers in the future.
