DIBRUGARH: In a crackdown against illegal timber smuggling, the forest officials on Monday nabbed four timber smugglers from inside the Dihing Patkai National Park in upper Assam Dibrugarh district.
The timber smugglers, identified as Babul Nirmoliya, Jikir Orang, Sobhit Sarma and Tosen Bora were involved in tree felling in the national park.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Forest officials also seized a large quantity of illegally felled timber from their possession apart from several pieces of equipment used by the smugglers for cutting trees.
“We have been carrying out the operation against timber smugglers inside Dihing Patkai National Park since April 28. The timber smuggler gang had chopped the Tita-Sopa tree inside the park. We managed to nab four of them. Several tree cutting equipment and machinery were also seized from them,” said a forest official.
Sources said the timber smugglers are operating in the Dehing Patkai areas with the help of some political leaders.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
“Many illegal sawmills were set up in the Arunachal Pradesh. The timber smugglers used elephants to carry the logs from the forest area,” said a source.
Last year, an elephant was killed in firing after an encounter between timber smugglers and forest officials in Dihing Patkai National Park.