PESHAWAR
On the orders of Regional Police Officer Malakand Sajjad Khan the police arrested 138 timber from across the district and sent 16 accused to jail under 3-MPO during the last three months. Under the supervision of District Police Chiefs of Malakand division, 49 were arrested from Swat, 13 from Bunner, 12 Shangla, 29 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.
The police took three trucks, 20 pick-up, one ambulance and other vehicles loaded with timber and logs into custody and handed over to Forest Department which imposed a Rs 10 million fine on the arrested accused.
The RPO Sajjad Khan, while issuing orders to the district police chiefs across the division said that the accused involved in illegal timber smuggling should be dealt with iron hands, adding that the natural beauty of Malakand Division would be protected at all costs.
He said that Malakand Division is a tourists’ destination due to the beautiful landscape, forest area and natural tourists’ resorts and added that nobody would be allowed to spoil it.
The RPO directed that the network of timber mafias should be thwarted by putting up strict blockades on the entry and exit routes in the division and by taking strict measures against them.
