Man Arrested for Illegal Laterite Stone Mining and Falsifying Licence Documents in Bantwal, Dakshina Kannada

In a swift police operation earlier this week, a 42‑year‑old local businessman was taken into custody for allegedly siphoning off laterite stone from a protected quarry in Bantwal, Dakshina Kannada.

The man, whose name has not been released, is said to have been part of a small group that set up a makeshift crushing unit near the hills. Over a period of several months they extracted the reddish‑brown laterite, a material prized for road‑making and landscaping, without the requisite environmental clearances.

What really tipped off the authorities, however, was the discovery that the accused had tampered with official licence documents. According to the investigation, he forged signatures and altered dates on a mining permit that had originally been issued to a different entity, hoping to mask the illegal activity.

When the Karnataka Forest Department received a tip‑off from a nearby resident, a joint team of forest officials and police moved in. They seized around 25 tons of extracted stone, a portable crusher, and a stack of doctored paperwork. The seized material will now be handed over to the authorities for proper disposal.

“This is a clear case of wildlife and environmental law being flouted for personal gain,” said Deputy Conservator of Forests R. Shankar during a press briefing. “We are sending a strong message that tampering with official documents and illegal extraction will not be tolerated.”

The accused is currently in judicial custody. He faces charges under the Karnataka Forest Act, the Indian Penal Code for forgery, and provisions related to illegal mining. A court hearing is scheduled for next week.

Environmental groups have welcomed the arrest, urging the state to tighten monitoring of laterite quarries, which have been under increasing pressure due to rapid urbanisation in and around Mangalore.