Police seize cache of maple wood, arrest Nepalese smugglers in Himachal Pradesh

Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh), Dec 25(ANI): Himachal Pradesh Police has claimed to have arrested four Nepalese nationals, who were trying to smuggle maple wood from Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district to their country on Thursday.

A case has been registered under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) and Forest Act against the arrested four, who had come to India to get logs and hunks of wood, which would be used in prayers, and for making bowls and other crockery, the police said.

"We got information that some Nepali (Nepalese) youth were staying in a guest house in Rampur, and they are in possession of some wood pieces from the forest area," said Sunil Negi, a police officer of the Rampur police station.

"Acting on a tip-off, the SHO (Station House Officer) along with a contingent of Rampur Police raided the area and arrested the four Nepali youth," Negi added.

He added that this wood is in great demand in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet, and it has enormous value in international market.

According to reports, the Nepalese nationals have been smuggling maple wood from past few years in the area.

They also said that the arrested youths have confessed that they often cross the Indo-Nepal border to collect and smuggle maple wood. (ANI)