Karnataka - Bangalore   

Sandalwood thefts rise

LAW &ORDER The police claim that there is no alarming rise in such cases, writes K.V. Subramanya

THERE HAS been a spurt in sandalwood theft cases in the city of late and most of these incidents have been reported from the compounds of Union and State government institutions.

In the early hours of Friday, six men struck at the HAL test house compound, said to be protected area, in Bayappanahalli police station limits, felled three sandalwood trees and made away with the logs after assaulting the security personnel.

On September 5, an unidentified man aged around 30, suspected to be a sandalwood smuggler, who sneaked into the Border Security Force (BSF) campus in Yelahanka was shot dead by a BSF constable. According to the police, attempts were made to steal sandalwood from the BSF campus earlier.

Targets

In the past, sandalwood trees were cut and the logs stolen from the Indian Air Force premises at Gangammanagudi, Income Tax Department staff quarters at J.C. Nagar, Maharani's College grounds, the BWSSB office compound on Bellary Road, Aranya Bhavan, headquarters of the State Forest Department, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bangalore University campus, the Indian Statistical Institute at Kengeri and also from Cubbon Park.

The police, however, claim that there is no alarming rise in sandalwood theft cases and only some stray incidents are being reported. The police suspect that those who were involved in sandalwood theft cases in the past, on being released from jail, are committing the crimes.

The Cubbon Park police, in whose jurisdiction large number of sandalwood trees are found, said they had prepared a list of sandalwood trees in their area and were keeping vigil there. The police maintain that it is not possible to totally stop sandalwood thefts. There are sandalwood trees in all parts of the city and it is not possible for them to keep vigil on each tree, they say.

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