The dreaded sand mafia on Tuesday night killed a home guard constable when a police team tried to seize a vehicle loaded with illegally mined sand on Madhe Road under Barem police outpost limits of Aurangabad district.

Sub inspector Rajesh Kumar went to the place and noticed a sand laden tractor following a lead about illegal transportation of sand through Kanker Road. He started chasing the vehicle and contacted the Barem SHO and requested reinforcement from the NTPC police station.

A police patrol car rushed to spot and tried to block the tractor from ahead. But the driver stepped on the accelerator and escaped, crushing home guard constable Ramraj Mahato.

The constable got critically injured and was rushed to the nearby NTPC hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Aurangabad SP Swapna Ji Meshram said that police teams were conducting raids in the Sone Diara area to seize the tractor and arrest the persons involved.

Police and enforcement officers have become soft targets of sand and liquor mafia in the region in recent days. Four incidents of such attacks have been reported in Aurangabad district in the past three months.