According to Baburam Bhadari, the chief forest officer at the Brindaban Range Post, the forest guards fired back in retaliation after the traffickers indiscriminately opened fire on them when they tried to take the traffickers under control who were loading timber onto their buffalo carts. [break]
It is said that as many as 60 rounds of bullets—20 rounds by the traffickers and 40 rounds by the forest guards— were fired in the confrontation that last about an hour. The value of the 450 cubic feet sal logs that the traffickers were trying take away is estimated at Rs 3.75 lakhs.
The armed traffickers are on the run. Two persons—Sunil Thapa, 19, and Ashok Kumar Mahato, 20 of Solti, Shankarpur-3 of Sarlahi have been held in connection with the incident. Likewise, five buffalo carts used by the traffickers have also been taken under control.
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