As many as seven Forest Department employees, including two guards and five watchers, were seriously injured when they were attacked by members of a stone mafia gang at Karadabani area under the Nihalprasad police station in Dhenkanal district on Saturday.
The miscreants also snatched the service revolvers and cell phones of the officials when they were injured following the attack .The injured were later admitted to the Barapada hospital.
Upon receiving information, police rushed to the spot and launched a hunt to nab the culprits.
According to police sources, following a complaint that illegal stone mining activities were being carried out at Karadabani, the forest officials rushed to the spot.
However, the miscreants, who outnumbered the officials, brutally assaulted them with sticks, stones and other lethal weapons.
“Around 25 miscreants attacked our guards. One Pramod Lenka among them has been identified. We have lodged an FIR at the Nihalprasad police station and informed the Collector about the incident,” said Dhenkanal DFO Prakash Chand Gogineni.
“A mafia group is operating in the area and we have intensified patrolling. Everybody’s cooperation is required to nab the culprits,” said Gogineni.