Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
The Forest Department of Terai Central Division has intensified its efforts to curb illegal wood smuggling after identifying three absconding smugglers involved in the felling of Khair trees. On Monday at midnight, the forest department team was attacked by a group of smugglers attempting to escape with illegally cut Khair logs.
The smugglers’ vehicle collided with the forest officials’ vehicle when the department blocked their escape route. Two smugglers, Lakhwinder Singh and Kishan Vishwas, residents of Khatola No. 2, Dineshpur, were arrested on the spot. The officials seized six Khair logs loaded in their vehicle. One of the accused, Lakhwinder Singh, was injured in the collision, along with Deputy Ranger Diwan Singh Rautela and two other forest officials.
Following the interrogation of the arrested smugglers, three other absconding culprits, residents of Makarandpur, Radhakantapur, and Lalpur in Dineshpur, were identified. “We have formed teams to arrest the absconders and prevent further illegal activities,” said Roop Narayan Gautam, Forest Officer, Tanda Range. “The remaining accused will be nabbed soon.”
