Khair Wood Smuggling Racket: Rs 95 Lakh Seized Across States

A major crackdown on an illegal khair wood smuggling network has resulted in the seizure of Rs 95 lakh across several states, police in Mahasamund have confirmed. The operation runs alongside a separate case in Durgapur, where Rs 4 crore was recovered from a pickup vehicle.

The khair timber case involves allegations of illegal transport and smuggling, as well as fake NOCs and billing fraud. Raids were conducted in Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and other states as part of a coordinated effort to dismantle the network.

A significant breakthrough came with the arrest of Sanjay Chhapariya, the chief accused who had been absconding. He is wanted in a case involving a deadly attack linked to the illegal khair timber trade, registered at Singhora police station. Police arrested him from Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

Questioning of Chhapariya led investigators to his residence in Bargarh, Odisha, where Rs 45 lakh was seized. Officers also recovered Rs 15 lakh from the home of an associate who works as a tax consultant. In Himachal Pradesh, a raid on a location that was used to help offload illegal khair timber yielded Rs 35 lakh.

In total, Mahasamund police have so far seized Rs 3,61,52,880 from various locations connected to accused Manish Agarwal, Sanjay Chhapariya and their associates. Investigators believe this money was earned through the illegal khair timber business.

Meanwhile, in Durgapur, police stopped a pickup vehicle near Dabrapara on Sunday night and found a hidden chamber containing Rs 4 crore. Two men travelling in the vehicle are being questioned about the origin and purpose of the money. Investigations in both cases are ongoing.