Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Police have closed the Karnataka- Kerala border checkpoint in Talapady village abutting the exit carriageway of National Highway 66.

“It was not a checkpost; but a shelter for police personnel to keep vigil on the law and order situation in the border,” Mangaluru City Police Commissioner T.R. Suresh had said.

Police personnel were not supposed to stop vehicles at the checkpoint unless there was some serious doubt, he had said.

However, the personnel at the checkpoint not only stopped select vehicles but also placed two barricades to slow down ‘suspected’ vehicles and stop them. Whenever parked vehicles moved out, they used to pose danger to other vehicles moving on the carriageway since the barricades were placed soon after a curve.

In a report, “Sand transportation goes on illegally”, sand truck drivers/ cleaners stopped their vehicles at this checkpoint and “visited” the personnel before crossing the border.

The report highlighted how sand was being illegally transported to Kerala despite ban on its inter-state movement following blanket ban on sand extraction in Kerala.

Mr. Suresh told on Tuesday that arrangement for police personnel has been made at the Talapady Toll Plaza itself, where closed circuit television cameras too are available. Regarding allegations of the erstwhile checkpoint becoming a “collection centre”, Mr. Suresh said he was yet to verify CCTV footages.