Panchkula cop involved in illegal sand mining arrested
Malkit Beniwal, stationed at the Barwala police post, is implicated in the Barwala area mining case; the SIT, led by DCP Himadri Kaushik and ACP Vikram Nehra, sought a three-day remand, which the court rejected
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Malkit Beniwal for being involved in an illegal mining case in Panchkula. He was presented before the Panchkula court today, which sent him to Ambala jail instead of granting police remand.
Beniwal, stationed at the Barwala police post, is implicated in the Barwala area mining case. The SIT, led by DCP Himadri Kaushik and ACP Vikram Nehra, sought a three-day remand, which the court rejected.
The scam, discovered in December 2024 via WhatsApp groups, led to an FIR at Chandimandir police station. The investigation revealed a large network of 82 suspects; 69 have been questioned. Home guard Deepak Sharma, the alleged mastermind, is under scrutiny for facilitating deals between officials, police, and miners.
Following Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) orders, the SIT also arrested two Haryana State Enforcement Bureau officials, Nafe Singh and Inderjeet, for accepting bribes. The HC demanded a status report by March 3, after reprimanding police inaction. A CBI notice hints at potential higher-level investigations.
Panchkula police commissioner Rakesh Kumar Arya has assured that no one involved in illegal mining will be spared.
