3 officials suspended for stealing trees from reserved forest

News Desk

Three officials of the Forest Department have been suspended for stealing 200 teak trees from the reserved forest in Alikadam upazila of Bandarban.

The suspended officials are Taino Range Officer Zulfikar Ali, Beat Officer Mozammel and Forest Guard Alok Sen.

Rapid Action Battalion and officials from the Forest Department recovered the smuggled wood on Sunday evening.

Lama Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ariful Haque Belal confirmed the matter on Monday.

According to local sources, Habibur Rahman Kalam, a resident of Madhujhiri village of Lama, lodged a written complaint against the officials and employees of the Taino Range of the Forest Department recently that teak trees planted in the reserved forest of Alikadam in the 1980s and 1990s were cut and the woods were smuggled.

The complaint states that the trees were felled during hill razing for road construction.

Despite being aware of these activities, the officials and employees of the Taino Range of the Forest Department have remained silent.

Zulfiqar Ali, the suspended officer said that teak trees in the forests of Kakrajhiri and Duprojhiri said he knew the trees were felled and smuggled, but was not involved in the crime.

Lama Divisional Forest Officer Ariful Haque Belal said a probe committee was formed on April 30 to investigate the theft. Based on the investigation committee’s report, range officer Zulfikar Ali, Beat Officer Mozammel and a forest guard were suspended.

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