3 Haryana youths held with Rs 1cr Burma teak :seized by foresters of the Belakoba range under Baikunthapur forest division from Fulbari

They have been identified as Wasim Khan, Mustakim Khan and Nasim

Some of the  Burmese teak seized on Friday. : Passang Yolmo

TT Bureau   |   Siliguri/Malda   |    29.01.22  : An illegal consignment of Burmese teak estimated at Rs 1 crore was seized by foresters of the Belakoba range under Baikunthapur forest division from Fulbari in Siliguri on Friday.

Three persons, all residents of Haryana, have been arrested in this connection. They have been identified as Wasim Khan, Mustakim Khan and Nasim.

The two tucks carrying the timber have also been seized, forest sources said.

A forester said the timber was loaded in Assam and was en-route to Calcutta. According to the foresters, the cost of the seized timber, which has huge demands in the country and in the middle-east, is around Rs 1 crore.

“During preliminary investigation, we have come to know that the timber was smuggled from Assam. The illegal consignment was kept hidden in the trucks under plywood sheets. We suspect that an organised smuggling racket is involved in the crime and is using Siliguri as a corridor to illegally transport timber from the northeast to other parts of the country,” said a forest officer.

In another incident, a team of the Baishnabnagar police station in Malda intercepted a truck on NH12 on Thursday night and seized 1,490 bottles of cough syrup.

Senior police officers said two persons have been arrested in this connection. The cost of the seized cough syrups is around Rs 3 lakh.

The police suspect that the consignment, packed in five sacks, was supposed to be smuggled to Bangladesh.

Those arrested have been identified as Mosiur Rahaman, the driver, and Bogdar Sheikh, the truck’s owner. Both are residents of different villages in Malda.