Police Arrest 138 for Smuggling Timber
News Desk
Peshawar: The Malakand divisional police have detained at least 138 suspects on charges of smuggling timber and jailed 16 under section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) during the last three months.
Under the supervision of Malakand division police chiefs, 49 were arrested from Swat, 13 from Buner, 12 from Shangla, 29 from Lower Dir, and 35 from Upper Dir.
Similarly, two each from Swat and Lower Dir district, 11 from Upper Dir, and one from Lower Chitral were booked under 3-MPO and sent to jail.
Three trucks, 20 pick-up vans, an ambulance, and other vehicles loaded with lumber and logs were seized by the police and turned over to the Forest Department, which fined the accused arrested Rs 10 million.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Malakand Sajjad Khan instructed district police chiefs across the division and stated that the wood mafia should be dealt with harshly, stressing that Malakand Division’s natural beauty will be preserved at all costs.
“Malakand is a popular tourist destination because of its stunning scenery, surrounding forests, and natural tourist resorts. No one would be permitted to diminish its beauty,” Sajjad Khan affirmed.
The RPO ordered that the network of timber mafias be stopped by erecting stringent barriers on the division’s entry and exit points and by taking severe action against them. APP
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