Jodhpur: In a major crackdown on gravel mafia, police here arrested 15 people and seized 10 transport vehicles along with two escort vehicles in the last two days.The gravel was loaded from the river in Pali and Balotra districts and transported to Jodhpur. A senior police official said that four dumpers laden with gravel were seized Wednesday, along with a car escorting these dumpers into Jodhpur from Rohet in Pali. “All these dumpers were loaded with gravel from a river in Rohet and were heading to Jodhpur. Teams from two police stations, along with a special team, intercepted them and arrested seven persons,” said the official. In a continuing action Thursday, four trailers and two dumpers laden with gravel were seized in two separate actions Thursday, arresting eight persons in total. A Scorpio was also seized which was escorting these vehicles. Police said that these vehicles carried gravel from Samdari in Balotra district and entered Jodhpur for supply. “We intercepted all these vehicles on the highway in Jodhpur and asked for permits or other relevant documents in relation to gravel transportation, but none of them could provide the same,” said an official. He said that due to strict monitoring of illegal gravel mining and supply in Jodhpur, the gravel mafia now sourced the gravel from the rivers or riverbeds in surrounding districts with rivers and transported it to Jodhpur at a high price.
