Mumtaz, who tips off forest and police officials of Ichoda in Telangana’s Adilabad district on alleged Multani timber smugglers from four local villages. “The smugglers are in full flow these days, transporting eight to 10 lorry loads of teak out of the district every day,” said a forest officer, lamenting lack of police cooperation. All the teak in the ranges of Boath, Neredigonda and Ichoda, among others have been felled by the Multanis. For records, seized teak worth ₹ 30 to 40 lakh is acutioned off at each of the forest timber depots and Ichoda and Khanapur. Adilabad Collector Buddha Prakash M. Jyothi has launched an effort for development among Multanis, to make timber smuggling unattractive.

Source: The Hindu August 07, 2017 00:33 UTC