Timber smugglers attack forest team in Tripura; 6 guard injured

Biswendu Bhattacharjee

Agartala: At least six forest guards, including a range officer, were injured when timber smugglers attacked them in a remote area of Kanchanpur in North Tripura on Tuesday. The attackers also caused significant damage to two departmental vehicles. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Police said acting on a tip-off about timber smuggling, a forest protection team set up an ambush near Chandipur on Monday night. Early Tuesday morning, the team tried to stop a vehicle loaded with timber near Chandipur, but the driver ignored their signals and sped away. The forest guards chased the vehicle in a departmental vehicle.

The driver later abandoned the timber-laden vehicle and fled. Shortly afterward, a group of around 50 people returned and attacked the forest guards. At least six personnel, including a range officer, sustained injuries in the assault, police said.