Balasore: Forest officials launched a crackdown on wood mafias in the district Monday. They seized huge quantities of timber and wood-cutting instruments in a raid on a sawmill in Khirkona village near Simulia in this district.
Led by Chandipur forest range official Prafulla Kumar Mallick, the joint operation was conducted by forest, Vigilance and police officials. Balasore Vigliance SP and divisional forest officer (DFO) Biswaraj Panda ordered the raid.
The owner of the sawmill managed escape, while the team seized logs of timber as also wood-cutting instruments worth over Rs 5lakh.
The illegal sawmill was sealed in the presence of magistrate Suresh Keshari Panda. More raids would be held in the district in the coming days, officials said.
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