Eight held, vessels seized as Coast Guard halts illegal sand extraction in Bhola
Bhols Correspondent
In a targeted drive against illegal riverbed dredging, Bangladesh Coast Guard personnel arrested eight individuals and seized a dredger, a bulkhead, and a wooden boat while they were unlawfully extracting sand from the Tetulia River in Bhola.
Providing details in a press release on Saturday afternoon, Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon stated that the operation was executed around 1:00 AM today by a team from Coast Guard Base Bhola, acting on a tip-off.
The drive took place in the waters adjacent to Char Hossain under Velumia Union in Bhola Sadar Upazila. During the raid, Coast Guard officers caught the suspects red-handed while extracting sand illegally, seizing their dredger, bulkhead, and wooden boat on the spot.
Subsequently, a mobile court conducted by an Executive Magistrate sentenced all eight detainees to one month of simple imprisonment. The seized dredger, bulkhead, and boat remain under Coast Guard custody, with instructions issued to auction the vessels within 15 working days and deposit the proceeds into the government treasury.
