KOHAT: The police on Monday arrested 80 people, including workers and contractors, for being involved in placer gold mining in the riverbed, besides confiscating 19 excavators.

A statement issued here said that district police officer Mohammad Umer Khan had been receiving complaints regarding unchecked mining for placer gold.

SHO Gumbat police station Riaz Khan leading a team arrested 80 people from different sites.

Officials of the mineral department also accompanied the police, the statement said. The SHO said that the arrested people were often released after being fined by courts, and they again indulged in the illegal practice.

The mineral department officials told Dawn that a mafia was involved in illicit digging. They claimed that gold worth approximately Rs150 million was being extracted daily.

The officials said that under the law up to 200 yards area from the riverbank was the property of the government.

They said the illegal business had started two years ago when people from across the province came here with pots and sorted out gold from sand. However, they said when the news spread slowly in the area about the presence of placer gold big parties with machinery came and started commercial digging for gold.

ARRESTED: The city police solved a blind murder case of a young man by arresting his friend here on Monday.

Body of Asad Nauman, 22, a resident of Chakar Kot area, was found from Kalo Khan Banda area on the fifth day of Ramazan.

Mohammad Wahid, the father of the deceased, had lodged an FIR.

During investigations, the police arrested Hasnain, a friend of the deceased.

SHO city Vaqar Afridi started a probe and reached the accused, who also belonged to Chakar Kot area.

District police officer Mohammad Umer Khan had tasked the city police with solving the blind murder case.

Hasnain told the police that he had a brawl with his friend, after which he took him to Kalo Khan Banda area and shot him dead with a pistol. Hasnain said he left his body there in a secluded place and fled away.

The police also recovered the pistol used in the murder.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2024