Port Blair, 05 August 2024:
The Forest Department under the Middle Andaman Forest Division successfully conducted two separate operations on 1st August, 2024, resulting in the arrest of five individuals and the seizure of illegal items.
A joint team of the Anti Forest Encroachment Vigilance Squad, Rangat led by Smt. R. Barkha, Forest Range Officer comprising Forest Guards, Shri Abdul Hameed and Shri Jabeen Ahmed, along with others staff, conducted a patrol in Kaushalya Nagar Reserved Forest area. The team apprehended two individuals, namely William Katchap and Basil Katchwa, both residents of Kalsi, in possession of a large quantity of nylon traps for hunting wild animals, sharp weapons, and other items. The accused have been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
Further, acting on credible intelligence, a team led by Shri Rajkumar Dutta, Deputy Range Officer, and Shri N.S. Sandran, Forester, conducted a night raid near Ganga Mandir at Aamkunj beach. The team successfully apprehended three individuals, namely Kalachand Mandal, Suman Kumar Biswas, and Ajay Kumar Poddar, for illegally collecting and possessing sea sand. They confessed to the crime during interrogation. The accused have been arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
The Middle Andaman Forest Division has urged the public to cooperate and provide information about any illegal activities related to wildlife or forest resources and informer will be suitably rewarded.
