Illegal sawmill unit busted in Odisha’s Bhadrak, 4 detained

An illegal sawmill was busted and equipment worth lakhs of rupees was seized in Bhadrak during a surprise raid carried out by the police in coordination with the forest department on Wednesday.

Details of the operation:

Sources reported that Bhadrak police received a tip-off regarding an illegal sawmill operating at Haladidihi Chhak under Puruna Bazar police station limits. Subsequently, a team led by Bhadrak City DSP Sambit Majhi raided the place and discovered that the sawmill was operating without a valid license.

Value of incriminating evidence:

During the investigation, the Forest department staff immediately seized machinery worth over Rs 3 lakh, along with a vehicle loaded with processed timber from a Neem tree. Additionally, the value of the logs and processed timber was stated to be around Rs 50,000.

The Forest Department also detained four youths for questioning. However, the ownership of the land where the sawmill was operating remained unclear, as per the last reports.

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Forest Department’s statement:

“We received intelligence inputs regarding an illegal sawmill operating in Haldidiha and formed a team to carry out a raid. While machinery and equipment worth Rs 3 lakh were seized, about Rs 50,000 worth of logs were also found on site. Most of the timber came from Neem trees. We have detained several accused and an additional probe is on,” stated Bhadrak Forest Officer Pitambar Nayak.

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Further action:

He also stated that the local Tehsildar will be consulted to determine the boundaries of the site and ascertain the owner, following which further legal action will be taken.