3-men gang controls TN sand mines: ED

AS per the Enforcement Directorate's investigation into the alleged 4,730 crore river sand mining scam across 28 sites in Tamil Nadu, just three people allegedly controlled the entire sand mining business in the state.

- SIDDHARTH PRABHAKAR

Government tender conditions were manipulated to ensure that only those entities linked to these three pocketed all the contracts, the ED said.

A Japanese sand excavator manufacturer has also told ED that all the 273 excavators sold by the company in Tamil Nadu since 2011 were bought by entities that come under a business group owned by one of these contractors. The details are part of the dossier sent on June 14 by the central agency to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, sources said.

The agency alleged that state government officials colluded with these contractors to illegally mine sand over and above the quantum allowed under the contract with the government.