Bagdogra, 04th January: In a significant breakthrough, the Forest personnel of Bagdogra Range foiled timber smuggling bid and arrested a smuggler with huge quantity of sal wood. The arrested accused has been identified as Akhtar Ali, a resident of Lichupakri in Phansidewa.
According to reports, during naka checking in Darjeeling More and Patharghata area of Siliguri, the forest department seized a potato-laden pickup van and another four-wheeler. During the search, a huge quantity of timber was recovered from the vehicles.
The market value of the recovered timber is estimated to be in lakhs of rupees. In this regard, Ranger Sonam Bhutia of Bagdogra Forest Department revealed that the timber was being transported from Sevoke to Bihar with the intention of smuggling. He added that the timber was recovered from the sack of potatoes. At present, the entire matter is under further investigation.