Paralakhemundi: Four personnel of the Odisha Special Armed Police (OSAP) were arrested Saturday morning in connection with teakwood logs seized November 3 from a police van in Gajapati district.
According to official source, the vehicle has been seized along with teakwood logs transported illegally, the value of which is around Rs 65,000 in open market. The arrested police personnel were directly involved in the alleged smuggling. Additional Director General (ADG) RP Koche has initiated a departmental probe into the incident.
Six forest officials have already been interrogated by the ADG Koche. Statements of few other officials will be recorded later in the day.
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The ADG Koche has been interrogating to ascertain from where the teakwood logs came from, where the logs were loaded on the police van and to whom it was planned to be delivered in Bhubaneswar.
It is pertinent to mention, a team of forest officials had recovered more than hundred teakwood logs from the police van following thorough inspection of the vehicle early Wednesday morning at a check gate near Ramasagar Square in Paralakhemundi town of the district.
Forest officials had also detained the police van (registration number OD-05 AK-5733) in which the teakwood logs were being carried.
Acting on a tip-off, the team of officials had intercepted the police van leading to seizure of huge quantity of teakwood logs. The van belongs to Paralakhemundi Reserve Police, a senior forest official stated.
A detained policeman has expressed that they were on their way to Bhubaneswar. The police van driver was from OSAP 3rd Battalion.
PNN
