Tripura 30 Jan, 2025: Yesterday, Kadamtila Forest Beat Officer Abhijit Das has been actively cracking down on illegal timber smuggling, making him a major concern for timber traffickers. Despite taking charge of the Kadamtala Forest Beat only three months ago, he has already intercepted multiple cases of timber smuggling, seizing vehicles and illegally stored timber. Previously, such operations were rare in the area, allowing timber mafias to exploit the region freely.
On Wednesday, Abhijit Das received intelligence that a large quantity of illegal sawn timber was to be stored in the Kadamtala Forest area. Acting on this tip-off, he, along with SDFO Ashok Kumar, Dharmanagar Range Officer Supriya Nath, and a large forest department team, set up a watch along the Kadamtala-Dharmanagar road.
At approximately 11:45 PM, an SML truck bearing registration number TR01X-1902 was spotted speeding towards Kadamtala. As forest officials attempted to intercept the vehicle, the driver tried to change routes via the Bargol-Maheshpur road but failed due to road conditions. Eventually, the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled.
Upon reaching the scene, forest officials searched the truck and discovered 100 cubic feet of illegally sawn timber. The vehicle was also seized. SDFO Ashok Kumar confirmed that the operation was based on secret intelligence, though no arrests have been made yet. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.
According to Beat Officer Abhijit Das, the market value of the seized timber is around ₹2.5 lakh. Initial reports suggest that the timber was sourced from the reserved forests of Kanchanpur or Ambassa.
