Mumbai, Apr 15 (PTI) A woman journalist working for a YouTube channel was allegedly attacked by sand mafia in coastal Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Sunday, an official said.

The victim, identified as Swati Hadkar, had gone to capture videos of an illegal sand excavation activity at a river in Chiplun, he said.

“At the site, some members of the sand mafia attacked her, following which she was rushed to a state-run hospital,” he said.

Hadkar had earlier covered several news stories about illegal sand mining activities in Chiplun area, he said.

Police have registered a case against unidentified persons at the Chiplun police station, and a probe is underway.

In February 2023, Shashikant Warishe (48), a journalist with Mahanagri Times, died after being mowed down by an SUV allegedly driven by a land dealer at Rajapur in Ratnagiri district. He had written against the accused which angered the latter, according to police. PTI DC NP