Pushpa-Style' Interstate Timber Syndicate Busted: ₹81 Lakh Cash Seized in Raid at Smuggler Manish Agarwal's Residence
RAIPUR : In a major breakthrough against interstate timber smuggling, Mahasamund police raided the residence of notorious timber smuggler Manish Agarwal in Mudpar (Sarsiwa) and recovered ₹81 lakh in unaccounted cash, marking a significant victory in the ongoing crackdown on a high-tech "Pushpa-style" illegal syndicate operating across Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Following Agarwal's recent arrest in connection with the illegal transit of valuable Khair (Acacia catechu) and Tendu timber using fraudulent digital NOCs and counterfeit transport permits, police conducted a search at his residence to trace crime proceeds.
Searching teams uncovered ₹81 lakh hidden inside Agarwal's Mudpar residence, with the cash recovered in the form of 162 bundles of ₹500 notes totaling 16,200 individual notes. Police have initiated proceedings under Section 107 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which empowers authorities to attach properties and funds acquired through criminal activities. The case was registered based on an application filed by the Forest Range Officer of Pithora, with charges filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Indian Forest Act, and the Arms Act. The operation involved obtaining a search warrant from the court, with the raid conducted on September 7, 2026, in the presence of caretakers and witnesses.
Investigations reveal that the syndicate engaged local villagers across forest belts in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh to illegally fell high-value Khair and Tendu trees, with the timber processed in regional warehouses before being shipped to states like Haryana and Himachal Pradesh using fake documentation. The case involves the illegal transportation of 23,350 kilograms of Khair wood using forged NTPS NOC documents. Police uncovered that Agarwal's cartel used AI tools and fake digital signatures to forge official Forest Department No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) and transit permits, allowing heavy transport trucks to bypass border checkpoints smoothly. The investigation has revealed connections spanning from Odisha to Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Law enforcement agencies across Chhattisgarh and neighboring districts in Odisha are now analyzing bank records, land titles, and logistics logs linked to Agarwal and his associates. Investigators aim to identify additional warehouses, haulage partners, and corruption links that enabled the multimillion-rupee forest racket to operate across state lines. Notably, Agarwal's name had previously surfaced in connection with a case involving the alleged smuggling of leopard skin. As authorities continue to probe the extent of the network, the case has raised serious questions about the growing sophistication of forest crimes, with smugglers now leveraging advanced digital tools to evade detection.
Report: Pankaj Chauhan