In a major development, a suspected timber smuggler has been shot dead by a team of forest department officials under Silonijan Range in East Karbi Anglong on Thursday.
As per reports, the team of forest department officials confronted a group of timber smuggler inside the Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary and demanded that they surrender. The gang of smugglers who were engaged in cutting of endangered trees opened fire at the forest team prompting them to retaliate.
The exchange of fire lasted for a couple of minutes and the gang fled the spot under the cover of darkness. Later, on searching the area, a bullet ridden body was recovered by the forest team along with a 7.65mm pistol with two live ammunitions and one empty cartridge, a muzzle loaded gun, a chain saw and a gallon of petrol was also recovered from the area.
It is pertinent to mention that illegal logging and smuggling of valuable timber is rampant in the Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining Nambor Reserve Forest in Golaghat district. Notorious gang of timber smugglers feed in valuable trees in the forest which is considered as a treasure house of a diverse range of Flora and Fauna. Timber smugglers here carry firearms and sometimes challenge forest officials who patrol the forest unarmed.
Recently, a forest guard named Mohibur Hussain was brutally attacked by timber mafia inside the Nambor Reserve Forest.
Hussain was attacked with sharp axes after he confronted the gang of notorious timber smugglers cutting down valuable trees inside the protected forest.
