At least 15 people were arrested in the village of Kharsar near Nagarparkar during a raid Wednesday night on a makeshift factory involved in the illegal extraction of granite.

Sindh Minister for Mines and Minerals Suhail Anwer Siyal and Senior Superintendent Police Tharparkar Ameer Saud Magsi were part of the raid team that arrested workers of a company involved in the illegal act of granite extraction from the Karoonjhar Hills using heavy machinery.

Siyal suspended the district monitoring officer for his negligence towards his duties and his inability to inform the concerned authorities about the illegal mining activities.

The arrested officials were handed over to Nagarparkar police for further investigation. No First Investigation Report has been registered in the case as yet.

Siyal, while speaking to local journalists, said that he raided the site on a tip-off, adding that he had ordered a thorough inquiry into the matter.

Villagers living along the Karoonjhar Hills claim that many mafias have been involved in the extraction and theft of precious stones from the area for many years with no checks and balances in place to prevent such occurrences.