Madhya Pradesh: Miscreants loot 17 rifles from Burhanpur’s forest department post

When 15 to 20 people arrived and ransacked the post, a daily-wage employee was on duty. The thugs stole 17 rifles from the forest service employees who were stationed there

Image Credit: File Photo; Representational purpose only

Burhanpur: Unidentified persons looted 17 rifles from a post set up by the forest department in Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur district, an official said on Tuesday. The incident occurred at Bakdi post under Navra forest area of Nepanagar tehsil around 9.30 pm on Monday, Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahul Kumar Lodha said. A daily-wage employee was on duty at the post when 15 to 20 people arrived there and ransacked the place, he said. The miscreants looted 17 rifles that the forest department staffers had kept there, the official said. Two police parties have been formed to track down the accused and recover the stolen weapons, said the SP, who visited the post. According to officials, teams from the forest department and police were conducting a drive to remove encroachments and check the illegal cutting of trees in the area for the last few days.

Madhya Pradesh Satpura Tiger Reserve's investigation 

The Satpura Tiger Reserve authorities have started an investigation after a video purportedly showed a vehicle, in which Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon was allegedly travelling, close to a tiger during a safari, an official said on Tuesday. The video, which surfaced on social media platforms, showed the safari vehicle reaching close to a tiger. In the clip, camera shutters are heard making sounds and a tiger is seen roaring at them in the reserve located in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district. Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) of Forest Dheeraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said following the directives of senior officials, he has started a probe into the alleged incident.

Notice for driver and officials

He said during Tandon's visit to the reserve on November 22, her vehicle allegedly reached near a tiger. The vehicle driver and the officials on duty there will be served a notice and questioned, the official said. The probe report will be submitted to senior officials for further action, he said.

Tandon had shared the pictures of her visit to the Satpura Tiger Reserve on her social media handles. She also shared the pictures of tigers that she clicked during her visit to the reserve. Earlier this month, authorities at the Van Vihar National Park, located in the state capital Bhopal, had started an investigation after Tandon shared a video and claimed some miscreants were throwing stones at a tiger enclosure in the park.