An ambulance of the 108 integrated call centre, which caters to medical emergencies in Madhya Pradesh, was caught carrying teak wood logs along with an oxygen cylinder in Katthiwada area of Alirajpur district, some five kilometres away from the Gujarat border, an official said on Monday.
Local residents stopped the vehicle late Saturday night after suspecting it may be smuggling teak wood cut from the Bhavra area or liquor and then informed forest department personnel, the official said.
"We got a tip off around 10pm on October 23 that a vehicle carrying teak wood from Bhavra was coming to Katthiwada. However, before we could arrive at the spot, the villagers had intercepted the vehicle. It was part of the 108 ambulance service with its registration starting with MP 02," Katthiwada forest ranger Yogendra Singh Bilwal told PTI on Monday morning.
"The seized teak wood, the cutting of which is banned across India, is worth Rs 15,000. Driver Vikram Dhakat (29) and his helper Arun Bamania (30), who fled from the spot, were later arrested. They have told us the teak wood was being taken to a police constable's place," he added.
The 108 ambulance service is run by the MP government under the public-private partnership model.
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