At least 10 people, including a forest beat officer, were injured in an attack by timber thieves in the remote hilly area of Dhopachhari in Chandanaish upazila.
The incident occurred around 8 PM on Thursday (July 17) at Paranjurani in Ward No. 6 of Dhopachhari Union, when forest officials tried to prevent illegal tree felling. According to Assistant Conservator of Forests A.K.M. Imrul Kayes of the Dohazari Range under the Chattogram South Forest Division, the attack was led by Mozammel Haque, a member of the Dhopachhari Union Parishad and a local BNP leader.
He stated that upon receiving information that Mozammel Haque and a group of 15–20 timber thieves were cutting down teak trees in the Paranjurani area, Dhopachhari Beat Officer Sudatta Chakma, along with forest guards, rushed to the site to intervene. At that time, the group of timber thieves, armed with indigenous weapons, launched a coordinated attack on the forest officials.
Approximately 10 people, including the beat officer, were seriously injured in the assault. After receiving news of the attack, police from the Dhopachhari outpost arrived at the scene and rescued the injured, who were then sent to Dohazari Hospital for treatment.
The injured include: Sudatta Chakma (Dhopachhari Beat Officer) , Iman Billah (Forester) , Abu Bakkar Siddique (Forest Guard) , Shubho Islam (Forest Guard), Md. Kutub (Leader of the Forest Patrol Team)
Chandanaish Police Station OC Golam Sarwar confirmed that the Forest Department has filed a case against 12 individuals in connection with the attack.
