Maharashtra: Two tonnes of smuggled Khair wood stocked in farmhouse seized, one booked

The forest department and police in Maharashtra’s Thane district conducted a raid at a farmhouse and seized two tonnes of smuggled logs of Khair wood worth around Rs 1.50 lakh, an official said on Friday.

The raid was conducted in Padgha on Wednesday, he said. Khair wood is used for extraction of ‘kattha’, which is one of the essential ingredients of making paan, an after-food mouth freshener. The wood and bark of this tree are also used for medicinal purposes.

”Acting on a tip-off, forest officials and a team of police raided the farmhouse, where the smuggled Khair wood was found stocked. A total of two tonnes of wood worth Rs 1.50 lakh was seized,” the police official said. An offence against the owner of the farmhouse, identified as Sahil Chiklekar, was registered under various sections of the Indian Forest Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said.

Range Forest Officer Shaikesh Deore said investigation into the case is being conducted.