Louhajang: A mobile court has sentenced four people to jail in different terms and fined Taka 3.5 lakh for illegally lifting sand in Padma River at Louhajang upazila of the district. A Coast Guard team, led by Louhajang Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Abdullah Imran, conducted a mobile court at Mawa Point on the Padma River and arrested four people on charges of illegally extracting sand from the river using a dredger.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the arrested individuals were identified as Abu Taleb, 50, Anwar Sheikh, 65, Md. Sabbir, 21, and Parvez, 27. The mobile court sentenced Anwar Sheikh to three months in jail and imposed a fine of Taka 2 lakh, with an additional 30 days of imprisonment if the fine is not paid. The remaining three were sentenced to 45 days in jail each and fined Taka 50,000 each, with an additional 15 days of imprisonment for non-payment of the fine.
Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Abdullah Imran stated that the group had been illegally extracting sand from the Padma River at night, defying government orders. He emphasized that sand extraction in the area near the Padma Bridge poses a risk to the bridge's safety.