PALAKKAD: A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team investigating the Olavakkode Forest strong-room theft case has said that containers used for storing sandalwood oil have been recovered from an illegal oil extraction factory at Kannimari, near Plachimada, in Chittur on Saturday.

The team, led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police Nandakumar, brought Abdul Rehman, one of the 14 accused arrested in this case, to the factory on Saturday to take evidence.

Rehman had been a worker at the factory.

The CBI said oil and billets stolen from the strong room were allegedly sold to the factory. Rehman showed the location where the containers were buried after exporting the oil, it added.

The theft was noticed on September 12, 2002, though the incident took place on February 9 and 10 that year.

As much as 558 kg of sandalwood oil seized in connection with various offences in Walayar and Kollengode forest ranges, 1,425 kg of wood and 55 kg of ivory, estimated at several crores of rupees, were stolen from the strong room located inside the forest office complex, Aranya Bhavan, where offices of the Conservators of Forest and the Custodian of Vested Forest, along with the Flying Squad divisional forest offices, were located.

The Forest Department had suspended 11 officials, including the Palakkad Divisional Forest Officer (Flying Squad), in connection with the case. But most of them were taken back later on court directions.

The first of its kind in the State, the theft assumed importance since the goods lost were material evidences entrusted by the court to the department for safe custody in six cases. From the very beginning, the needle of suspicion fell on the `sandalwood mafia,' who were indulging in smuggling of the billets from Marayur sandalwood forest to extract oil in the nearly two dozen units functioning on the border areas of Palakkad, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.

There were allegations of political patronage enjoyed by the mafia.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail