Bolangir forest officials seized a truck loaded with valuable kendu wood near Sinkhaman village during a raid on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, the department intercepted a 709 truck that was transporting timber illegally from Tikrapada towards Bargarh, en route to West Bengal.
Under the direction of DFO Ajit Bisoi, Bolangir Ranger Navin Panda, and Forester Byasadev Sahu led the operation. The team discovered lakhs worth of black kendu wood concealed inside the vehicle. Officials confirmed that the timber was being smuggled out of Odisha by interstate wood mafias.
During the raid, five accused were detained. Four of them—Loknath Sabol (35), Suresh Bhoi (44), Sushil Seth (45), and Devendra Mahapatra (56)—belong to the Bargarh area, while Manas Khamari (35) hails from Satighat in Tikrapada. Forest officials also recovered a sharp weapon used by the accused, who attempted to attack the team before being subdued.
The seized truck and timber were taken to the Balangir Range Office campus. Officials estimated the value of the kendu wood between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh. The forest department has launched a detailed investigation into the smuggling network, which reportedly extends to West Bengal.
Assistant Conservator of Forests Manas Ranjan Behera stated that DFO Bisoi will brief the media about the case in a press conference tomorrow.
