Adilabad: Teak wood smugglers, known locally as Multhanis, attacked forest staff conducting a raid in Keshavapatnam village, Ichoda mandal, on Sunday morning. The forest officials, accompanied by police security, had seized teak logs and furniture from several houses during the operation.
The Multhanis tried to block the forest staff from searching the villagers' homes. The altercation led to the injury of Ichoda beat officer Naushilal Jadhav, who was struck by stones.
Utnoor forest department officer (FDO) Revanth Chandra reported that the smugglers used steel rods to assault the staff and damaged two forest vehicles. Police were subsequently deployed to restore order.
Adilabad deputy forest officer (DFO) Prashanth Bajirao Patil informed the media that the team identified and detained nearly 20 wood smugglers in Keshavapatnam. He confirmed that the raid, led by Revanth Chandra of Utnoor division, Kulip FRO of Ichoda, Srinivas Reddy of the task force FRO, and supported by nearly 40 staff members, was the largest in six months. The operation resulted in the seizure of timber valued at Rs 3.5 lakh.
DFO Patil highlighted that previous raids had exposed the Multhanis' operations, including their base camps in deep forests and their workshops (Karkanas) in Addala Thimmapur and Peechera within the Sirichelma forest range. He said that seven cases of timber smuggling have been filed, targeting large-scale operations that supply timber to Keshavapatnam.
The forest department faced significant resistance as Multhanis, led by Jagda Hussein, Sheik Kareem, Sheik Sharif, Sheik Sajid, Ramzan, Sheik Jovil, Sheik Sadam, Sheik Jagdu, and Sheik Sajel, incited neighbouring villages to oppose the raids. These smugglers allegedly misled villagers to protect their illegal activities.
Additionally, forest section officer Madhukar of the Chinthaguda range in the Kawal tiger reserve has been suspended for colluding with wood smugglers.
