Saturday 27th Jul, 2024
Srinagar, Oct 16 : A forest protection force (FPF) guard has been placed under suspension even as forest department has filed an FIR against the “unknown persons” in connection with the seizure of a truckload of deodar in Kupwara two days back.
The prized timer of deodar was felled near the office of the close of Deputy Director Forest Protection Force
and was being loaded into the load carrier when a team of forest officials carried the raid during the intervening night o October 13 and 14 at around 2.00 a.m.
Sources told GNS that Deputy Director Forest Protection Force placed the guard Altaf Ahmad Bhat under suspension, two days after forest department seized the truckload of deodar near Dedikote in the frontier district.
The forest department has also registered an FIR against the “unknown persons” and according to the Divisional Forest Officer Kahmil Range Kupwara, Davinder Pal, the identity of those involved would be revealed by the police investigation.
“The forest team had specific information about the smuggling of the timer and when they approached towards the forest, they say bonfire lit and when they approached towards it, the smugglers fled from the spot,” he said, adding, “The raiding team observed at the spot that two logs of deodar were loaded in the load carrier (tata mobile) and while remaining seven logs were being dragged by smugglers for loading in to the vehicle.”
According, the officer said, the vehicle with two logs were seized and remaining seven logs were brought by the separate vehicle.
“Since the raid was carried in the dead of the night, the fleeing smugglers were not seen properly by the team and as such IR was filed against the unknown persons and police will surely unmask those behind the crime,” he added responding to allegations that attempts were made to shield the driver of the vehicle along with smugglers as well as members of the forest protection force who were allegedly escorting the smugglers. (GNS)
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