Smugglers boldly enter heavily guarded bungalow of conservator of forests and axe tree
Smugglers cut down a sandalwood tree at the bungalow of a forest department official at Race Course in Coimbatore early morning on Sunday. (Photo: DC)
Coimbatore: A group of sandalwood smugglers entered the highly guarded bungalow of the conservator of forests in Race Course and axed down a huge sandalwood tree.
They fled after the security guards arrived on hearing a noise in the early hours of Sunday. After initial investigations, the police suspect a gang of at least four persons to have entered the compound premises around 3 am.
"The tree was 3 m in height and 32 cm in girth. They had cut down the tree using a saw," said a forest department official. Neither the forest department nor the police have registered a case with regard to the incident.
"Though we are investigating, we haven't registered a case as the incident did not occur in the forest areas," said a forest department official. The police, however, said they are yet to receive a complaint on the attempt to smuggle the sandalwood tree.
The corporation had recently erected iron guards for sandalwood trees in the city including those in the VOC park area to prevent timber mafia from felling them. In recent months, sandalwood trees were felled at VOC Park, near Bharathiar University and in Boluvampatti.
Similar attempts have also been made to axe down sandalwood trees near the compound of the district forest officer and in the surrounding areas this year. "The smugglers are targeting sandalwood trees as they fetch a good amount in the grey market," said a forest department official.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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