BHUBANESWAR: In a major embarrassment to Commissionerate Police, unidentified miscreants entered the Jaydev Bhawan campus, chopped a sandalwood tree and fled with the high-value timber worth lakhs of rupees late on Saturday night.
Located in a high-security zone, the government-run Jayadev Bhawan stands opposite Lok Seva Bhawan and is a few hundred metres away from Capital police station. In fact, the City Traffic Police office is right next to it.
Police suspect the incident could be a handiwork of more than two persons. The thieves involved are believed to have scaled the boundary wall of the auditorium and went in unnoticed as the security guards had possibly taken shelter due to the rains.
Sources said the thieves fled with the log, leaving behind chopped branches of the 10 ft tall sandalwood tree having a girth of one feet. The security guards in morning shift noticed the theft and informed the authorities. Interestingly, there are no CCTV cameras on the campus.
Capital police registered a case and an investigation has been launched, police said. “Two security guards were on night duty and will be questioned to elicit more information,” said Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena.
Forest department’s opinion will also be collected to ascertain whether the tree was cut using a machine or an axe.
This is not for the first time that the anti-social elements managed to chop a sandalwood tree from a classified high-security zone. In 2022, smugglers had cut and stolen a sandalwood tree from Lok Seva Bhawan premises.