Truck with 76 illegal khair logs seized in Yamunanagar

A team of the Wildlife Department has seized a truck carrying 76 peeled logs of khair wood being transported illegally in Yamunanagar district. The purchase bill and other documents accompanying the consignment were found to be forged, prompting officials to register an FIR against a firm and several others at the Pratap Nagar police station.

According to officials, the department received a tip-off on October 6 that a truck loaded with illegal khair wood was moving from Khillanwala village towards Paonta Sahib via Pratap Nagar.

Acting on the information, Inspector Lilu Ram of the Wildlife Department formed two teams — one deployed near the grain market at Pratap Nagar and the other near Tajewala — to intercept the vehicle.

“After some time, a truck was seen coming from the Pratap Nagar side. The team signalled the driver to stop, but he ignored the instructions and sped away,” said Lilu Ram.

He added that the team chased the truck, but the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled.

“There were 76 peeled logs in the truck. A bill issued by a firm, one e-way bill and a transit pass purportedly issued by the Forest Department of Karnataka were also found in the vehicle. These documents were fake and the owners of the firm were smuggling khair wood in connivance with others by preparing forged documents,” Lilu Ram said.

The Inspector confirmed that a case has been registered under various sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 against the accused persons.