Bolangir: The Forest Department of Bolangir seized a truck loaded with illegally transported ‘Kendu wood’ worth lakhs of rupees near Sinkhaman village and arrested five persons, officials said Wednesday.
Acting on a tip-off about the smuggling of valuable timber to other states, a team conducted a raid early morning and intercepted a truck moving from Tikrapada towards Bargarh via Bolangir. The operation was carried out under the direction of DFO Ajit Bishi, with Ranger Nabin Panda supervising a team led by forester Byasadev Sahu.
During the raid, officials found a huge quantity of ‘black Kendu wood’ in the vehicle. The truck, which was suspected to be heading to West Bengal via Bargarh, was seized along with the timber and brought to the Bolangir range office campus.
Officials identified four of them as Lokanath Sabal (35), Suresh Bhoi (44), Sushil Seth (45) and Debendra Mahapatra (56) from Bargarh district, and Manas Khamari (35) from Tikrapada Sati Ghat.
The department also seized a sharp weapon from the accused. The suspects attempted to attack forest personnel during the raid but were overpowered by the team, an official added.
Preliminary estimates put the value of the seized timber between Rs 5 to 7 lakhs. An inter-state timber smuggling network with links extending to West Bengal is suspected.
Further investigation is underway, and a detailed briefing on the case will be shared at a press conference Thursday, Assistant Conservator of Forests Manas Ranjan Behera said.
