Odisha forest department personnel nabbed four policemen while they were illegally transporting teak wood in a police van near the Forest Gate under Paralakhemundi Forest Division in Gajapati district on Wednesday.
As per an official statement of the forest department, the four policemen have been identified as Bharat Mahakud, Yasavanta Acharya, Chinmay Behera, and the driver of the van Sridhar Mohapatra who is Jawans in the Odisha State Armed Police (OSAP) 3rd Battalion.
"They are presently being questioned," the statement said.
According to Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Paralakhemundi, a special team of the forest department patrolling the area on Wednesday stopped a police van and seized 35 cubic feet of Teakwood, planks, and logs in the vehicle.
As per reports, the Forest officials intercepted the police van during checking near the Forest Gate on Wednesday night.
"Forest officers seized more than one hundred pieces of timber having a market value of Rs 1.5 lakh. The forest department is detaining and questioning all four jawans along with the driver of the vehicle. The driver, however, admitted that he himself had bought timber from the Gandahati area for his house and was illegally taking it to Puri in a police vehicle," said the ACF.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
( With inputs from ANI )
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