Teak Tree Theft Ring Busted: Three Arrested

Authorities in India have dismantled a theft operation involving the illegal felling of teak trees from fields. Three individuals, Krishna Mohan, Ghyanshyam Prajapati, and Jitendra Paswan, were arrested in connection with the crime. The police recovered 12 stolen logs and confiscated vehicles and tools used in the operation.

In a significant breakthrough, police have successfully dismantled a theft ring involving the illegal cutting of teak trees from agricultural fields. Authorities made key arrests, taking into custody Krishna Mohan from Deoria district, alongside Ghyanshyam Prajapati and Jitendra Paswan of Gorakhpur district, according to Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sushil Kumar Singh.

The incident surfaced when Abdul Alim, a resident of Ganserpar village, reported the disappearance of three teak trees from his field and that of his neighbor Samsudeen in March. Investigations revealed that the suspects illicitly cut down the trees, transported them at night in a pickup van, and hid the wood near an ITI college in Deoria.

Law enforcement agents seized a pickup van, a car, a saw, and ropes believed to be used in the crime. Notably, one of the culprits, Ghyanshyam Prajapati, has a prior criminal record, having been charged under the Gangster Act earlier in 2023. Legal proceedings are in progress, and further details are anticipated as the investigation deepens.

(With inputs from agencies.)