In a major breakthrough, the local police have arrested 29-year-old Naresh Kumar, a resident of Jamoli village, for allegedly setting a Forest Department rest house and hut on fire at Thandidhar, which falls under the Haban forest range in Sirmaur’s Rajgarh division.
The nearly 60-year-old government property, worth around ₹50 lakh, was completely destroyed in the fire on the night of June 29. Initially, it was first thought to be an accident, forest officials grew suspicious after finding an empty petrol bottle at the scene. A police investigation later confirmed that the fire was intentionally set.
The police said Naresh was involved in illegal timber smuggling. Just days before the incident, forest officials had seized 35 logs of deodar (cedar) wood that were illegally cut from a nearby forest. The logs had been stored near the forest guard’s hut. Allegedly angry over the seizure, Naresh came back to steal the timber.
According to reports, when he saw a female forest worker (Van Mitra) and her brother sleeping in the hut, Naresh — believed to be drunk at the time — poured petrol on the hut and set it on fire in an alleged attempt to kill them and destroy any evidence. Fortunately, the Van Mitra woke up in time and managed to escape.
The accused has been booked under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges of attempted murder and destruction of government property. The police are continuing their probe to find out possible links to a wider timber smuggling network in the area.
Senior forest officials have highlighted the historical value of the gutted rest house and assured that crimes of this scale will face the strictest legal action. Meanwhile, security has been tightened at key forest sites in the region.
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