Rautahat, Aug. 19 -- The dark of night in Bhasedawa village in ward 1 of Katahariya Municipality, Rautahat, looked deceptively quiet when a Mahindra Scorpio SUV rolled down a dirt track on July 31. Acting on a tip-off, a forest patrol team intercepted the vehicle for inspection. The driver fled before anyone could question him. At first, the forest officials suspected little. Scorpios-synonymous with prestige in Madhesh-were rarely associated with timber smuggling. But when officials tore out the rear seats, they found four freshly cut logs of sal trees stuffed inside.

The seizure stunned even veteran forest officers. "Earlier, timber smugglers relied on carts, tractors, bicycles, or trucks," said Hemant Kumar Sah, chief of the Division ...