Chandigarh, Nov. 3 -- In yet another instance of unlawful sand mining in the region, police arrested three men for illegal soil excavation from government land behind The Lalit Hotel at IT Park.

During an inspection of the 123.79-acre IT Habitat project site near Kishangarh/Bhagwanpur lake, Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) SDO Navneet Sharma found fresh digging marks and missing soil.

Following tyre tracks, Sharma, accompanied by a junior technician, traced two tippers - one without a registration plate and another bearing HR-58B-9965 - to MDC, Sector 2, Panchkula. A Poclain machine with fresh mud traces on its chain and footpads was also recovered nearby.

Fresh earth-filling was also spotted at Plot No. 423, which the CHB team believes ...