Kathua Forest Division Foils Two Smuggling Attempts; Trucks Seized

Kathua, Oct 16: In a major action against illegal transportation of forest produce, teams of the Kathua Forest Division seized two trucks loaded with timber and firewood during late-night operations on the intervening night of October 15 and 16, 2025.
At around 1:50 AM, a truck (Reg. No. JK02BB-8177) loaded with Simbal logs was intercepted near Mehta Palace, Kalibari on the National Highway by a team of the Kathua Forest Range, comprising Sh. Tariq (Sr. Forest Guard) and Sh. Abhi Jasrotia, under the supervision of Range Officer Sh. Narinder Kumar and overall supervision of DFO Kathua, Sh. Ankit Sinha, IFS.
The vehicle, driven by Kuldeep Raj, was found violating Sections 52(1) and 52(2) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and the J&K Forest Produce Transit Rules, 2020, besides flouting the Supreme Court ban on timber export from J&K. The truck and seized timber have been brought to the Forest Complex, Kathua for further proceedings. The transit permit produced by the driver was issued from Kalidhar Range for Jammu, but the vehicle had crossed nearly 80 km beyond the permitted destination.
In another operation at 2:45 AM, a truck (Reg. No. PB09X-2768) carrying mixed firewood was seized at Seshwan Morh on the National Highway by Team No. 04 of Jasrota Forest Range, led by Ashish Kumar (BO Dinga Amb Block) along with Sh. Mohinder Pal Dogra (Forest Guard) and others. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Range Officer Jasrota, Sh. Munish Gupta, and overall supervision of DFO Kathua, Sh. Ankit Sinha, IFS.
The seized vehicle and forest produce have been shifted to Hariachak Nursery for further legal action. The Kathua Forest Division has intensified night patrols to curb illegal extraction and transportation of forest produce in the district.