Team Herald
PERNEM: Pernem forest department seized a vehicle for illegally exporting sandalwood to Maharashtra.
During a raid conducted late on Tuesday night, the department seized a vehicle registered in Maharashtra and arrested three persons, namely Mahadev Parab, Mangesh Raut and Vijay Shirodkar from Talewadi, Sawantwadi, Maharashtra.
Forest Officer Vilas Gawas said they had received information from reliable sources that some vehicles from Maharashtra were coming to Goa for illegal transportation of wood during late night and early morning, and accordingly a team was formed, which began keeping a watch on such vehicles.
On Tuesday evening the Forest Officer found this vehicle moving suspiciously and later on conducting a search found the vehicle loaded with freshly-uprooted sandalwood.
During questioning, it was revealed that the sandalwood was uprooted from different locations in Dhargal.
The property from which the wood was uprooted was owned by one Dessai, whom they knew personally and not by his full name. They also said more vehicles were also involved in this activity of illegally transporting wood from Goa to Maharashtra.
Forest department is further investigating the matter and search of other vehicles involved in the activity is on.
Forest department have seized the wood along with the vehicle. The forest department team included Gawas, Mahadev Naik, Gopinath Bhonsle, Shailesh Gawandi, Jitendra Naik, Siddesh Gawas, Ravi Parsekar, Krishna Gawas, Gajanan Shetgaonkar, Shamba Gawas and Nitesh Shetye.
