The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Police: it is difficult to stop sandalwood thefts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 04, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Police: it is difficult to stop sandalwood thefts

Police point out that the lack of proper security in government lands has made sandalwood thieves target such places, writes K.V. Subramanya

THE RECENT attempt to fell a sandalwood tree on the residential premises of the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice has showed that sandalwood thieves have been striking even at highly secured places with impunity.

Four sandalwood thieves, who intruded into the compound of the Chief Justice's residence on Palace Road, ran away when a policeman opened fire in the early hours of February 27.

The same day thieves cut a sandalwood tree and made away with logs from the premises of Forman Training Institute (FTI), a "well guarded" government undertaking, in RMC Yard police station limits. They made another attempt at the same place in the early hours of Friday.

Concerned over the manner in which the sandalwood thieves have been striking, the police have formed a special squad to apprehend them. According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) M.C. Narayana Gowda, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) M.D. Basannavar will head the 10-member team, which includes two inspectors.

Mr. Gowda suspects that some gangs from Tamil Nadu are operating in the city of late. Earlier, most of the sandalwood thefts were committed by gangs from Kattigehalli, Medimallasandra, Bylanarasapura and Adigarakallahalli in Bangalore Rural district. These gangs are now lying low, he says.

Mr. Gowda says that incidents of sandalwood theft had come down during 2005 compared to 2004. In several cases, the gangs had only attempted to fell the trees. They were prevented from taking away the logs by the security personnel.

Over the years, the thieves have been mainly targeting sandalwood trees on government lands, and in an incident on September 5, 2005, a suspected sandalwood thief who sneaked into the Border Security Force (BSF) campus in Yelahanka was shot dead by a BSF constable.

In the past, sandalwood trees were cut and the logs stolen from the Indian Air Force grounds in Gangammanagudi police station limits, Income Tax Department staff quarters in J.C. Nagar, Maharani's College grounds, BWSSB compound on Bellary Road, Aranya Bhavan, the headquarters of the State Forest Department, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Jnana Bharati campus, the Indian Statistics Institute in Kengeri and Cubbon Park. In 1998, thieves had cut a sandalwood tree and taken away the logs from the residence of the then Cooperation Minister S.S. Patil in High Grounds police limits, though the house had police security.

The police maintain that is not possible to totally stop sandalwood thefts. There are sandalwood trees all over the city and it is impossible to keep vigil on each tree, they say. Referring to thefts reported from government lands, a senior police officer says officials of the respective departments too should take care of their property. As government lands are vast and lack adequate security compared to private premises, sandalwood thieves have been targeting such places.

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