Illegal timber haul: 33 trees axed in Mattewara, Mohali man among 8 booked
The incident took place in February 2024, but officials said the Ludhiana divisional forest department took nearly a year and a half to trace one of the key suspects.
The city police have booked a resident of Mullanpur Garibdass in Mohali, along with his seven unidentified accomplices, for allegedly stealing 33 khair (acacia catechu) trees from the Mattewara forest area.
The incident took place in February 2024, but officials said the Ludhiana divisional forest department took nearly a year and a half to trace one of the key suspects.
Once the accused was identified, the department filed a formal complaint, following which an FIR was registered at the Meharban police station.
According to the complaint filed by district forest officer (DFO) Rajesh Gulati, the prime accused, Kulwinder Singh, and his associates allegedly chopped and transported the trees using a canter truck.
DFO Gulati said khair trees are highly valuable because katha or catechu — used for medicinal purposes and in several industries — is extracted from their heartwood. “The estimated value of the 33 trees is around ₹5 lakh. Our investigation revealed that the accused, based in Mohali, later sold the stolen timber in Himachal Pradesh,” he added.
He said the department’s probe established Kulwinder Singh’s involvement, after which the complaint was submitted to Ludhiana Police on October 2.
Sub-inspector Paramjeet Singh of Meharban police station, who is investigating the case, said an FIR has been registered under Sections 29, 30, 32, 33 and 63 of the Indian Forest Act, along with Section 303(2) (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The accused are yet to be arrested and further investigation is underway, the police added.
