The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday carried out searches in connection with an illegal sand mining case at 14 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, PTI reported. Unidentified officials said the agency may investigate former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and former minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in connection with a case of illegal sand mining.

Yadav held the additional charge of the mining department from 2012 to 2013 when the Samajwadi Party was in power. Prajapati also held the mining portfolio.

The searches were carried out at the residences of senior officers, including Indian Administrative Services officer B Chandrakala, who is known for anti-corruption crackdowns. The houses of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Satyadev Dikshit and Samajwadi Party MLC Ramesh Mishra in Hamirpur were also searched, according to ANI.

A team was also questioning Mishra and former zila panchayat chairperson Sanjeev Dixit, reported Hindustan Times.

Searches were conducted in Jalaun, Hamirpur and Lucknow districts of Uttar Pradesh.

In 2016, the Central Bureau Investigation had filed seven preliminary inquiries into a case of illegal mining of minerals based on Allahabad High Court.