Wood smuggling racket unearthed in UP has a Punjab link

The Rampur forest division in Uttar Pradesh has unearthed an inter-state gang involved in illegal felling and transportation of 'khair' wood, seizing over 500 quintals of the valuable timber from Punjab and arresting three persons, officials said on Wednesday.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rampur, Pranav Jain, said the seizure, valued at over Rs 50 lakh, marks the first instance of such a large quantity of illegally felled khair wood being recovered from another state after being transported out of Uttar Pradesh.

The operation, dubbed 'Operation Khair', involved the use of technology and electronic surveillance to track the movement of vehicles carrying the contraband wood across state borders.

Khair wood, found in the Terai forests of Uttar Pradesh bordering Uttarakhand, is used to produce 'kattha', a key ingredient in pan masala and gutka. Owing to its high commercial value, it is frequently targeted by forest mafias for illegal felling and smuggling to other states.

Jain said the forest department had been monitoring the racket for several days and relied on inputs from informers along with technical tracking methods to trace the route of the smuggled wood.

"We wanted to identify not just the source but also the destination. Based on continuous inputs and technical surveillance, we tracked a vehicle carrying khair wood and followed it overnight to Punjab," he said.

The team reached the Rajpura area of Patiala city in Punjab, where a large quantity of khair wood was found stored and being processed. Around 450-500 quintals of wood was seized from the site, he said, adding that the market value of the wood is approximately Rs 10,000 per quintal.

The DFO said three accused have been arrested and three vehicles used in the smuggling operation have been seized. One more suspect is being traced.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the wood was being peeled and was to be sent to Jammu after processing, he added.

Jain said while the forest department has limited resources, the operation demonstrated that sustained monitoring and strategic use of technology can dismantle organised smuggling networks.

He said khair is a sensitive species and remains confined to limited forest areas, making it particularly vulnerable to illegal felling. The department had earlier made local-level seizures and arrests, but the larger network remained active.

"This time, the focus was on tracking the end-use and supply chain beyond the source. The entire team worked in coordination under a planned operation, with guidance from senior officers, leading to this major recovery," he said.

Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the smuggling network and their local accomplices, officials added.