Officers of the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Alipurduar district seized an illegal consignment of timber worth around ₹3 lakh early morning on Wednesday and seized a truck that was loaded with the wood.
Acting on a tip-off, a team from the North Rydak forest range of the BTR, led by Shyamal Mandal, the range officer, reached the entrance to the Rydak tea estate. Around 2.40am, they spotted a truck coming out of the tea estate.
“The truck bore an ‘on army duty’ sticker. As the foresters signalled the driver to stop, the vehicle stopped and the driver fled, taking advantage of the darkness,” said a source.
Roy and others searched the vehicle and found that it was loaded with teakwood. The truck was taken to the forest range office, where the illegal timber was unloaded.
“We have seized the timber and the truck. Searches are on for the driver. Our officers are also trying to gather information about timber smugglers who were sending the consignment,” said a senior forester of the BTR.