Kathua, Oct 16: During the intervening night of October 15 and 16, 2025, at around 1:50 a.m., a truck bearing registration number JK02BB/8177, loaded with Simbal logs, was seized by the Forest Team of Kathua Forest Range near Mehta Palace, Kalibari on the National Highway.
The operation was conducted by Sh. Tariq (Sr. Forest Guard) and Sh. Abhi Jasrotia, under the direct supervision of Range Officer Kathua, Sh. Narinder Kumar, and overall supervision of DFO Kathua, Sh. Ankit Sinha, IFS.
The truck was found violating Sections 52(1) and 52(2) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the J&K Forest Produce Transit Rules, 2020, as well as the Supreme Court’s ban on timber export outside the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. The accused driver, Kuldeep Raj, was apprehended on the spot.
The seized forest produce, truck, and driver were brought to the Forest Complex, Kathua, for further legal action. Investigation revealed that the Transit Permit (TP) produced by the driver was issued from Kalidhar Range and was destined for Jammu, but the vehicle had travelled nearly 80 km beyond its permitted destination, indicating an attempt to smuggle forest produce out of the Union Territory.
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