Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru City Police have arrested a four-member gang of inter-State sandalwood smugglers and seized 46 kg sandalwood logs worth Rs. 5.5 lakh and a car used for smuggling.
With this arrest, as many as 10 sandalwood theft cases reported in six Police Station limits have been solved.
The accused have been identified as Bhupathi, 24 years, Francis, 26 years and Praveen Kumar, 20 years, all three from Susaipuram village, Talwadi taluk, Erode district; Senthil Kumar, 38 years of MuruganapoondiKoil, Avinashi taluk, Tirupur district. All hailed from Tamil Nadu.
Close on the heels of increase in sandalwood theft cases, City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta had constituted a special team under Nazarbad Police Sub-Inspector M.L. Siddesh. The team members arrested these four inter-State sandalwood thieves from a park in K.C. Layout Main Road yesterday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime & Traffic) GeethaPrasanna told press persons here this morning that the modus operandi of the gang was to survey the matured sandalwood trees grown in the Government Office premises and cut it during night and take away to Tamil Nadu where it was sold for customers. The Lancer car used by the gang to transport the sandalwood logs has been seized.
Following the arrest of four persons, two sandalwood cases reported in Nazarbad Police Station limits, two in Ashokapuram PS limits, three in Krishnaraja PS limits, one each in Lakshmipuram, Narasimharaja and Jayalakshmipuram PS limits have been solved.
The City Top Cop has lauded the special team for solving the cases. Further investigation is on by Nazarbad Police under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mariyappa and Nazarbad Police Inspector G.N. Srikanth.
Law regarding government monopoly on Sandalwood should be abolished and everyone should be allowed to grow and sell it. Government has driven Sandalwood market down to the ground due to it’s incompetence, mismanagement and lack of imagination. Today, buying sandalwood products from government outlets is a joke. The sandalwood smell more reminds us of camphor.
What this people did is not a crime.
I wonder how can Government have a monopoly on growing and harvesting sandalwood. Sandalwood does not produce any psychoactive or intoxicating drug effects or have adverse health conditions.