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LAHAN, June 18: Siraha police have seized two vehicles loaded with a large quantity of illegally transported sal timber.
The incident has raised further suspicion as the police handed over the vehicles to the forest office only after 18 hours of seizure, amid growing concerns that forest staff may also be involved in the smuggling.
Acting on a tip-off, the Area Police Office in Mirchaiya intercepted two vehicles around 10 PM, Monday night, at Phulbariya in Mirchaiya Municipality-7, along the Mirchaiya-Katari road section.
The pickup vans numbered (Madhesh Province 03-001 Cha 7144) and (Province 1-001 Cha 8595), were transporting timber from Sindhuli via Udayapur to Gaurav Saw Mill and Furniture Industry in Golbazar, Siraha.
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Police recovered 335 pieces of sawn sal wood from the vehicles. However, the VAT bill held by the drivers only listed 330 pieces.
Although the bill mentioned 122 cubic feet of timber, timber traders estimated the seized wood to be about 300 cubic feet. This indicates an attempt to smuggle timber by underreporting the quantity and evading tax.
The vehicles also lacked the mandatory transport permit from the forest office, required when moving timber from one district to another.
It was revealed that the seized timber belongs to Gaurav Saw Mill, operated by timber trader Shyam Sah, locally known as "Kari." When contacted for a statement, he claimed he was unaware of the incident and promised to call back, but later could not be reached. Sources said Sah had visited the Mirchaiya Area Police Office that night, trying to settle the issue through negotiation.
Chief of the Division Forest Office, Shailendra Mishra, said the police did not inform them officially for hours. "We can only determine whether the timber is legal or illegal once it is formally handed over to us," he said.
Meanwhile, a forest staff member stated the handover process was delayed because forest officials refused to accept the timber without a report, stating that the official seals on the wood had been broken.
DSP Birendra Kumar Paswan, the spokesperson for Siraha District Police Office, confirmed that the seized timber and vehicles had been handed over to the Division Forest Office in Lahan for further investigation and action.
