In Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, the forest division successfully seized 185.817 cubic feet of illegal timber from the Chenani area of the district, resulting in the arrest of two individuals, as reported by officials on Sunday.
According to an official statement, two forest department officers have been suspended pending a departmental inquiry in connection with the seizure. The In-charge Block Officer of Gharrian and the In-charge Beat Guard of the forest department have been suspended and attached to the DFO office in Udhampur for further investigation.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rushal Garg of Udhampur stated, “We received specific information regarding the seizure conducted in the Chenani area of Udhampur District two days ago. The Forest Division Udhampur, in collaboration with their team, successfully conducted a raid at the residence of Jaipati Varman, a resident of West Bengal, and apprehended him.”
He added, “Two individuals have been arrested, and two officials have been suspended pending a departmental inquiry in connection with the seizure. The operation was conducted meticulously and revealed a significant stockpile of illegal timber.”
The preliminary inspection uncovered that Jaipati Varman had unlawfully hoarded 187 pieces of Kail timber, totaling 185.817 cubic feet in volume. This timber had been extracted from Beat Gharrian-II of the Dudu Range. Additionally, two mechanical tabletop cutters were discovered on the premises, as indicated in the statement.
Further investigations into the matter are currently underway.
