One person was killed in shootout between forest guards and timber smugglers at Behali reserve forest in Assam's Sonitpur district today, a senior Forest Department official said.
During routine patrolling in Rongagorah block of Behali reserve forest, a group of forest guards were attacked by timber smugglers and they retaliated, said Divisional Forest Officer (East), Sonitpur, Suvasis Das.
Later, the forest guards found an unidentified body with bullet wounds and a country-made muzzle loading rifle near it.
The body was sent for post mortem and identification, Das said adding all forest camps in Behali reserve forest area were alerted and a search operation launched for the smugglers.
