Nilambur:The forest department on Friday busted an illegal gold sifting operation in the Chaliyar river inside a reserve forest in Nilambur, arresting seven persons on the spot. The incident occurred in the Ayiravallikkavu forest under the Panayamkode section of the Nilambur Range.

Acting on the directions of Divisional Forest Officer P Dhanesh Kumar, a team led by Range Officer P Suraj conducted an inspection at the site on Friday afternoon. The suspects were caught in the act of sifting sand illegally mined from the Chaliyar river using specialised machinery when officials reached the spot.

Those arrested were identified as Kunduparambu Shameem, 43, Panangadan Abdul Razak, 56, Narimadakkal Sakkir, 53, Panthar Ashraf, 53, Chappangathottil Alavikutty, 62, Panhar Jabir, 42, all residents of Mambad, and T C Sudharan, 40, of Edakkara.

The operation was carried out by a team comprising Section Forest Officer C K Vinod and Beat Forest Officers M Noushad, P P Akhil Dev, and N Jishnu. The accused were later released on bail and further investigation is under way.

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All machinery and tools used in the illegal mining operation have confiscated  and will be produced before the court, officials informed.

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