Declared fugitive, Ex-DFO held for Corbett scam

DEHRADUN: The state vigilance unit of Uttarakhand arrested the former divisional forest officer (DFO) of Kalagarh Tiger Reserve under Corbett park, Kishan Chand, from a private hospital in Ghaziabad on Friday for his alleged involvement in illegal construction and felling of trees in wildlife sanctuary in 2021.

According to the vigilance department, Chand had been on the run since the Uttarakhand high court issued an arrest warrant against him on December 5 this year. He was declared a fugitive by the court on December 15.

Confirming the development, Amit Sinha, director of the vigilance department, said, "Kishan Chand was absconding for almost a month. Our team finally arrested him from a private hospital in Ghaziabad on Friday evening around 5.30 pm."

Another vigilance officer privy to the matter and requesting anonymity said that a case was registered against Chand by the vigilance department's Haldwani unit on August 8 following an open investigation into his alleged involvement in the illegal construction at the reserve and felling of trees.