Two smugglers arrested
Reyaz Rashid
Rafaiabad: O6 Oct: Forest department officials and police seized a Tata mobile carrying huge quantity of illicit timber and arrested two smugglers at Rohama Rafiabad in North Kashmir Baramulla district on Wednesday.
Talking to SNS Kashmir Joint Director FPF Kashmir Irfan Rasool Wani, “Following the inputs received regarding smuggling of illicit timber in a Tata Mobile vehicle by control room Rafiaabad , a check point ‘ nakka’ was laid at Rohama Rafaibad by the forest officials flanked by police and intercepted a Tata mobile bearing registration number JKO5H 7897 during the search recovered large quantity of illicit forest timber and both the accused were arrested and illicit timber was seized.”
The two smugglers were identified as Musadiq Farooq and Ubaid Farooq sons of Farooq Ahmad Dar of Malganipora Pazalpora were arrested on spot and have been booked in the instant forest damage case.
“As we tried to intercept the vehicle the driver of the vehicle tried to fled from the naka but the party chased the vehicle and vehicle skidded off the road fell into paddy fields. However, both accused were arrested and illicit timber was seized,” the forest official said.
In this regard Case FIR No. 111/2021 U/S 379 IPC & 26 Indian Forest Act has been registered in PS Panzla. Investigation of the case is going on, he added.
Wani further said that such operations will continue and not even a single smuggler will be spared and all the necessary actions warranted under the forest act would be taken strictly against who so ever will be responsible for any type of damage to the forests.
Meanwhile, people from cross section of society have hailed the efforts of police ,forest department and Chief Conservator Forest North Kashmir Irfan Rasool for the curbing the unabated forest loot.