YELLAPUR (UTTARA KANNADA): Staffers of the Yellapur division forest department on Sunday arrested two people, accused of being interstate sandalwood smugglers, on Sunday, and recovered 150 kg of sandalwood, along with a vehicle used to transport it, from them.
Acting on a tip-off, the staffers followed a vehicle which was transporting huge quantities of sandalwood felled in Manchikeri forest in Yellapur.
“We got a tip-off from a confirmed source. We kept watch on the two suspects, who were transporting the wood and just followed them up to Sira in Tumakuru district, before arresting them,” said Gopalkrishna, deputy conservator of forests.The duo was nabbed and their vehicle was seized. The sandalwood is valued at Rs 15 lakh, while the vehicle used to transport it is Rs 10 lakh. Altogether, material worth Rs 25 lakh has been recovered.
The accused are Iqbal, from Hassan, and Devraj, from Tumakuru. The duo, according to DCF Gopalkrishna, is a part of an interstate network which smuggles sandalwood and supplies it to a factory in Andhra Pradesh, which is involved in extracting oil. The accused had concealed the wood in the back of the vehicle. “We never even thought they would conceal the wood in that manner,” said Gopalkrishna. According to him, the accused are habitual offenders.