Five DRFOs suspended for involving with smugglers

Karwar: The Uttara Kannada District Chief conservator of forests (CCF) Vasanth Reddy has suspended five deputy range forest officers ( DRFO)s following the involvement of timber smugglers.

It is said that the five DRFOs Suresh Vaddar, Mahesh Soragavi, Maruthi Borker, Hanumantha Bandivaddar and M Guru chandra byali. The five DRFOs involved in smuggling of 52 timber logs in two lorries from Mundagoda to Sirsi. Acting on tip off higher officers of the forest department caught the lorries with timber worth over rs 30 lakh and arrested four accused from Mundagodu.

The accused transporting timber logs to a saw mill in Sirsi with help of five DRFOs. The CCF has recommended disciplinary action against Mundagodu RFO GT Revankar to the State Forest Chief. Yallapur DCF S.G. Hegade told reporters that a case has been registered against four accused at Sirsi range forest office. He said Kallappa Basappa Kengapur, a resident of Mundagoda Ganeshnagar, Haidara Ali Muhammad Hanif, Ghulam Hussain Gazipur, Mahmud Sohel Sheikh, residents of Deshpandenagar, have been arrested and two lorries used for transportation have been seized. During interrogation the role of five DRFOs in transportation was confirmed and disciplinary action was initiated against all the five. He said we are investigating whether the DRFOs involved in similar incident earlier.

He said the seized logs are Saguvani, Daman , Mathi and Kindala specise and accused transporting this to use for making furnitures. Investigation is on.