Thorough investigation will be held to ascertain facts: SSP
Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA , Oct 4: The Forest officials today handed over the truck and bookie which was seized by them yesterday to Lakhanpur Police in presence of a Magistrate (Naib Tehsildar), Maqbool Bhat. The Police team which received the contraband included Dy SP Gaurav Mahajan and SHO, Lakhanpur, Sushil Sharma.
However, earlier a high drama prevailed again at Lakhanpur and the police team along with tehsildar had to wait for half an hour at the gate as the Forest officials did not open the gate. As police officers showed their resentment and issued warning the forest officials opened the gate and the consignment and truck was handed over to police after completing all legal formalities.
Meanwhile the Police has registered a FIR No 108/18 U/S 8/15NDPS Act read with Section 353/332/147 7148 7 109 RPC against truck driver Hardeep Singh of Gurdaspur, Punjab.
The consignment was packed in 50 boxes of 20 kg each weighing 1000 kgs approximately.
The Conservator Forests, B M Dass also visited the spot today to assess the situation created there. He after seeking information from Forest officers informed media that Forest officials are always alert and they check the vehicles coming from different parts of the State to ascertain that they are not smuggling any kind of forest produce.
He said there is noting abnormal in it as it is their official duty.
Dass said that two forest employees were injured in scuffle with police. Terming it an unfortunate incident, he said the issue is between two Government dep-artments and every effort is being made to remove the misunderstanding between the officials of two departments for creating a better understanding in future.
SSP, Kathua, Shridhar Patil while giving the police version of the episode to media said the Hatli Police Post laid a naka after getting inputs that one truck bearing registration number JK13 A-9512 is carrying some contraband items from Kashmir which is on way to Punjab.
As the truck reached the naka the police men on duty asked the driver to stop but he fled away towards Lakhanpur and the police chased him. Later they overpowered the truck in between Lakhanpur and Hatli Morh and one cop was asked to accompany the truck and handover it to Police Station, Lakhanpur.
As the cop was on way to Lakhanpur in the truck to handover it to Police Station Lakhanpur four persons in civil dress stopped it in the way over powered the cop and forced him to leave the truck. They were the forest officials who took the truck to Forest Check Post, Lakhanpur.
The matter will be thoroughly investigated, he added.
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