Srinagar:- In a significant operation against organised crime, Pattan Police claimed to have busted a timber smuggling racket operating across the Kashmir Valley.
Police in a statement to news agency JKNS said that acting on credible intelligence, police received information that a group of smugglers was illegally felling willow trees from government land (Rakh) in Rakh Duslipora, Nowgam Circle (Gund Ibrahim).
The stolen timber was being transported in a Tata Mobile vehicle (JK18D/2556) for illegal sale in Pattan and nearby areas, police said.
Responding swiftly, the police spokesperson said that police teams intercepted and seized the vehicle along with 25 stolen timber logs. FIR No. 50/2025 has been registered at PS Pattan under Sections 324(3), 112(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation is underway.
The prime accused, John Mohd Bhat, a resident of Naina Batpora, Pulwama, initially fled from the scene but was later tracked and arrested from Pulwama, he said.
Further arrests and recoveries are expected as investigations continue.
Baramulla Police remains committed to taking strict action against organised crime and environmental offenses to safeguard public resources and uphold the law.—(JKNS)
