Two forest officers axed to death

Two forest beat officers on patrol duty were axed to death by unidentified persons deep in the forest region of Bollapalli mandal near Vinukonda here on Saturday morning. Forest department sources said that the attack has been unprecedented in recent years.

Forest Beat Officer Lazarus (40) and Bade Saheb (35), assistant beat officer, were axed to death on Saturday morning after they reportedly tried to stop an auto carrying wood from the forest. They miscreants attacked them with sharp weapons before speeding away. The incident took place between Kandrika and Nahru Nagar in Bollapalli mandal.

Probe begins

Teams of police and forest personnel have reached the spot and have begun investigations into the incident. Police have recovered the mobile phones of the guards and launched a hunt for the accused on the basis of photographs taken by the beat officers. “The incident is believed to have taken place before 8 a.m. The forest officers were unarmed,”' Divisional Forest Officer, Guntur, Lohitsayudu told The Hindu .

The information was also passed on to the Special Investigation Team to curb smuggling of red sanders. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Narsaraopet, K. Nageswara Rao visited the spot.