Kolkata, July 5 -- In a major breakthrough against the regional illegal mining network, the Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate late on Saturday night arrested Ajay Hari, who is alleged to be the kingpin behind an illegal sand mining syndicate operating in West Burdwan.

Hari, who, according to investigators, had established his foothold during the Left Front regime and expanded his operations during the TMC government, had been evading law enforcement agencies for months. Late on Saturday night, he was cornered and arrested in the Bidhbihar area by the police.

According to sources, Hari has been taken into custody to help investigators unravel his wider distribution network and alleged hawala links. It is learnt that his wealth grew substantially over the past two decades. Investigators claim that during the Left Front regime, Hari gained access to local river ghats and gradually built a network to illegally extract sand from the bed of the Ajay River. Using local muscle power and alleged political patronage, he is suspected to have transformed small-scale illegal sand extraction into an organised syndicate before the Left Front government lost power in 2011.

Following the political change in West Bengal, investigators allege that Hari cultivated close links with certain TMC leaders, enabling him to continue his operations. According to the police, his alleged political connections helped his business expand rapidly, and his operations continued for years without effective regulatory action.

Earlier raids at his properties allegedly uncovered assets believed to have been acquired through proceeds from illegal sand mining. Police have documented the properties and are likely to initiate proceedings to freeze assets worth several crores of rupees.

The assets include multiple luxury houses, commercial brick kilns and a large private ashram, which investigators suspect was used to project a legitimate public image while concealing illegal activities.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.