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 was filled using the stolen sand. Following the complaint, ASI Rubneen Kaur from the IT Park police station, along with CFSL and MFT teams, inspected the spot and seized soil samples, the Poclain machine, both tippers and a Panchkula plot, where the soil was allegedly dumped. The accused, who have been identified as Aalam, 37, and Jasveer, alias Jassa, 21, both from Panchkula, and Rahul Kumar, alias Rana, 34, from Hoshiarpur, were subsequently apprehended. They were booked under the Mines and Minerals Act, 1957, and Section 303 (2) of the BNS. The trio confessed to lifting soil from the site without any permit, police said. Soil samples were collected by CFSL teams to scientifically establish the theft and illegal transportation of soil. Videography of the entire spot inspection was done through the e-Sakshya app. Police said further investigation is underway to identify additional people involved, including the owners of the machinery and vehicles that were seized. In similar action against illegal sand mining in Dera Bassi, the local police registered three FIRs, confiscated four vehicles and arrested two persons in separate cases. Acting under the directions of SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans, police teams, led by DSP Bikramjit Singh Brar and SHOs of Dera Bassi, Lalru and Handesra, conducted raids in several areas. Among the vehicles taken into custody were two tippers and two tractor-trolleys, including one without a registration plate. The SSP said separate cases were registered at the Dera Bassi, Lalru and Handesra police stations....