BHADARWAH: Police on Wednesday recovered 24 timber scants, worth thousands, reportedly extracted from green Cedar trees and were being smuggled in a van from Chinote area of Bhadarwah on Wednesday.
According to a handout, acting on a specific information, a police party from Bhadarwah Police Station under the supervision of SDPO Bhadarwah Sardar Sajjad Ahmed Khan anticipated a Maruti Van bearing registration number JK06- 7802 on Chinote Bridge near Dak Bungalow Bhaderwah and seized 24 green timber scants, which were being illegally smuggled. Two smugglers were also arrested from the spot in this connection. “We have been receiving reports that large scale timber smuggling is going on in the town and adjoining areas. The Forest mafia is using small vehicles and mini load carriers especially during wee hours for smuggling the timber for some time,” said SDPO Bhadarwah Sardar Sajjad Ahmed Khan.
“To nab the timber smugglers red-handed ,we activated our sources and on a specific information, we intercepted a Vain and arrested two smugglers along with 24 timber scants extracted from green Cedar,” officer added. Vehicle has been seized and the arrested smugglers have been identified as Haroon Rashid son of Ab Rasheed resident of Green colony Chinote and Dilawar Gujjar son of Qais Din Gujjar resident of Chinote.
A case FIR No 140/2016 under section 379 RPC and 6 Forest Act has been registered at Police Station Bhadarwah and investigation is going on.