A group of khair smugglers allegedly tried to run over a forest department team after they were intercepted in Bilaspur district, officials said on Friday. Khair wood, often called “white gold,” is legally protected in India because of its high commercial value.
The incident occurred on Thursday night when three alleged members of a khair smuggling group, Ajay Kumar (Ballu), Manish Kumar (Dadiyana) and Mukesh Kumar (Dali), all residents of Bilaspur district, were stopped by a forest department team. Officials said the smugglers tried to crush forest workers and officers who were performing their duties.
Earlier, the Bilaspur Sadar forest department team had received information that khair wood was being illegally taken from forests in the Jhaleda Kuddi area. Based on this tip-off, the team laid a trap to catch the smugglers.
Forest officials said the accused were trying to escape under the cover of darkness with the wood loaded in a pickup truck. When the team signalled the suspicious pickup vehicle to stop, the driver allegedly sped up instead of halting, officials added.
Officials said the situation turned dangerous when the smugglers tried to run over five personnel, including the range officer, who were present at the spot. The forest staff managed to save themselves and quickly chased the vehicle before finally stopping it at Mandi Bharari.
Around 50 large logs of khair wood were seized from the pickup vehicle, and all three accused were arrested, officials said. The operation was carried out by a team that included Block Officer Surendra and Forest Guards Jitendra, Rajneesh and Ankesh.
Range Officer Narendra Singh said the police have registered a case against the accused under relevant sections of the Forest Act as well as for attempted murder. The vehicle has been seized, and police are now investigating the illegal cutting of khair trees.
Also read: Forest Dept to probe illegal felling of Khair trees in Bilaspur
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