Finger at forester

TT, Nov. 4: An informer of the forest department who provided details about the suspected snake venom that was seized last month has filed a police complaint against a range officer in Jaldapara for allegedly intimidating him for not sharing the information with him.

The accused officer, Swapan Majhi, has been removed from his post and today, N.S. Murali, the chief conservator of forest (wildlife, north), issued an order, asking him to join as an officer on special duty in the office of the additional principal conservator of forests in Siliguri.

"He has been asked to report within 24 hours. An inquiry will be held," a forester said.

The informer, who was accompanied by the representatives of the West Bengal Forest Service Employees' Federation, said at a news conference yesterday: "I had provided information to foresters about the snake venom jars that were seized last month. Since the seizure, a range officer posted in Jaldapara wildlife division has been intimidating me for not sharing the information with him. I lodged a complaint at Siliguri police station on Monday and want necessary steps against him."

Based on the informer's inputs, a team led by Sanjay Dutta, the range officer of Belakoba under Baikunthapur forest division, had seized five glass jars of suspected snake venom from a hotel in Siliguri on October 14. Four persons had been arrested.

The suspected venom, foresters had said, was smuggled from France via Bangladesh. The quartet were supposed to deliver it somewhere near the India-Nepal border. Forest sources had said if the substance was snake venom, it could be worth around Rs 175 crore.

Sources said the informer, a resident of Subhaspally in Siliguri, was supposed to find potential customers for Majhi and another official. "The plan was to facilitate a meeting between the potential buyer and the four. After the meet, the accused officer and some others were supposed to conduct a raid, seize the substance, take the cash (from the potential buyers) and take credit for the seizure."

Majhi could not be contacted.