Police officers in Kazakhstan's Abay Region have uncovered an illegal gold mining operation in the Zharma district, detaining nine people suspected of involvement.

The operation was conducted by the regional department of the Financial Monitoring Agency, under the coordination of the regional prosecutor's office, Kazinform reports.

According to investigators, the group was extracting gold-bearing ore without the required permits at a site approximately 10 kilometres from the village of Zhangiztobe.

The illegal operation involved open-pit mining and the processing of gold-bearing ore using specialised equipment.

An inspection of the site revealed a quarry reaching 15 metres in depth. More than 12,000 cubic metres of rock had reportedly been extracted illegally, while the area of damaged fertile soil exceeded 4,000 square metres.

Investigators identified nine people involved in the operation during search and investigative activities.

Police officers seized ore-washing and crushing equipment, seven bags of gold-bearing material, two metal detectors, two loaders and an excavator from the site.

The investigation is ongoing.