Ahmedabad: Three arrested for stealing Rs 69,000 worth sandalwood

The Gandhinagar police have arrested three people in connection with the theft of sandalwood in and around the district. There had been several cases of sandalwood trees being chopped and stolen reported in the district.

One such complaint was filed with the Dehgam Police Station on October 2 when sandalwood trees went missing from the Ayushadi Van in Nandol village in the district.

The cops formed several teams to keep an eye on areas that had an abundance of sandalwood trees. During day patrolling, the cops kept a vigil on roads were accessible to reach the place where these sandalwood trees grew. Following a tip-off, the cops on Saturday arrested three people, originally residents of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, from the Nehru chokdi leading towards Kapadvanj.

The trio was identified as Vijay Rajput, Lalganj Pauwa, and Ratanlal Rajput. Cops recovered a bag with 69 kg of chopped sandalwood valued at Rs 69000. The wood was being carried in a plastic bag. Cops said the booty earned the trio anywhere between Rs 800 to Rs 1000 per kg.

The Range Forest Officer of the area confirmed that the wood recovered from them was sandalwood. Police said the trio would roam around with their families as migrants and settle in nearby areas selling rudraksha and ayurvedic medicines. They would then use the opportunity to recce the nearby areas so as to know which field or forest had sandalwood trees in them. "They would then cut down the trees in the dark and escape with the wood. The wood then would be sold to people in different places," said the police in a release.