Two sandalwood trees inside Lalbagh Botanical Garden were chopped off by miscreants on Wednesday night.
This is the second such incident this month.
According to sources, Horticulture officials were unaware of the incident till some morning walkers informed them about the chopped tress. Though CCTV cameras have been installed inside the garden, many of them are not in working condition.
On November 29, a similar incident was reported near the library hall inside the garden, when the miscreants managed escaped with a part of the sandalwood tree they had cut.
Police suspect that Lalbagh staff was involved in both the incidents as the miscreants seemed to know the area well and knew where security guards were posted. The two trees chopped down on Wednesday night were near the director’s office.
Horticulture Department Director D L Maheshwarappa told Express that the CCTV footage from the entrance and traffic junction will be monitored to find the culprits.
Smuggling Hot Spots
Bangalore University’s Jnanabharathi campus is a hot spot of sandalwood smuggling and over the years, many thefts have been reported from there. Other areas vulnerable to sandalwood smuggling in the city are the campuses of IISc, UAS and the Bannerghatta forests. Such thefts have been mostly reported in land belonging to government agencies.