122 khair logs seized, two arrested in Fatehpur

Rajiv Mahajan

NURPUR, FEBRUARY 26

As many as 122 khair logs were seized near Rey in Fatehpur on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. The police arrested two accused and impounded vehicle carrying tree logs.

Forest Department field staff had a tough time and could nab only two of nealy 12 members of forest mafia last evening during group patrolling in the Rey forest range area.

The mafia men equipped with swords tried to scare away the team. They grappled with its members and attacked them. Three members of the forest team Ravinder, Pritam and Rumel Singh sustained injuries while overpowering two of them who tried to flee in a jeep.

They first threw tree logs on the patrolling team and then tried to run over them with their vehicle at Sthana where forest team had parked a tractor across the road to stop the fleeing jeep.

As per information, the forest department field staff led by Range Officer Rey, Kuldeep Kumar was on night group patrolling in the wake of reports of felling of trees by forest mafia in local forests. The team heard the sound of cutting of trees with manual saws. The team set up road nakas at Sthana and Khatiyar bordering Punjab to nab culprits and seize felled trees.

On seeing the forest team, the mafia members in a tempo loaded with khair tree logs tried to flee at around 4 am. The forest team informed the Rey police check post and a police party rushed to the spot.

While most of the members of the gang engaged in felling trees fled in the dark two were nabbed and handed over to the police.

The Divisional Forest Officer, Nurpur Sanjay Sen told The Tribune that the forest team along with local police and with the help of locals succeeded in nabbing two persons. “The loaded tempo without a number plate was impounded and 122 khair tree logs were seized. A case has been registered,” he informed.