Two forest officials attacked by mob in in Andhra’s Palnadu

GUNTUR: Two forest department officials were injured in an attack by relatives of a smuggler in Veldurthi mandal, Palnadu district, on Monday.

Acting on a tip-off, forest officials arrested a pangolin smuggler in the forest area. While transporting the accused to the police station, his relatives ambushed the officials’ vehicle, pelting it with stones. This resulted in damage to the vehicle and injuries to Wildlife Range Officer Satyanarayana Reddy and Beat Officer Mahesh Babu. Police responded promptly, controlling the situation and transferring the injured officials to Macherla government hospital for treatment.

DFO N Ramachandra Rao visited the hospital to check on the injured officials’ condition. The police registered a case and probe is on. In response, Palnadu district authorities have heightened surveillance in the forest areas to curb illegal animal poaching. Spanning 1.5 lakh hectares, the district’s forest cover has seen previous smuggling activities, including a recent case involving six individuals smuggling antlers and tanned deer skin.

To combat such illegal activities, officials have intensified monitoring in suspected areas, activated informers, and are holding regular meetings with field staff. They are conducting awareness programmes in forest fringe communities to educate locals about wildlife protection laws.