Bengaluru: Sandalwood worth Rs 16.5L seized, 4 of a gang arrested

Police first detained 2 men, identified as Siddappa K V, 27, from Meenakshi Nagar in Kamakshipalya, and Harish K N, 34, from Magadi taluk, Ramanagara district

Police have seized sandalwood worth Rs 16.5 lakh by arresting a four-member gang in western Bengaluru. The suspects have been booked under the Karnataka Forest Act.

Three policemen from the Kamakshipalya police station — assistant sub-inspector Srinivasa and head constables Channappa and Manjunath — found two men loitering suspiciously next to a mini-goods vehicle (KA 02/AH 8868) parked at a desolate place near Kaveripura Gudde on January 6.

They questioned the men and searched their vehicle. To their astonishment, the policemen found 20 sandalwood logs inside.

The sandalwood weighs 330 kg.

Police detained the two men, who have been identified as Siddappa K V, 27, from Meenakshi Nagar in Kamakshipalya, and Harish K N, 34, from Magadi taluk, Ramanagara district. Siddappa was the vehicle driver and Harish was his friend.

Siddappa told police about his other friend Ponnaraj, 35, who hired his vehicle to bring goods from Magadi.

On January 5, Siddappa, Ponnaraj and Harish travelled to Magadi and met a 29-year-old Laggere resident named Dhruva Kumar there.

According to Siddappa, Ponnaraj and Kumar took his vehicle and returned four hours later. They asked Siddappa and Harish to keep the logs in their possession and bring them to Kaveripur Gudde on the evening of January 6. Siddappa explained that they had come to the place and were waiting for Ponnaraj and Dhruva.

Police later tracked down Ponnaraj and Kumar, who claimed to have bought sandalwood from a third party. Police have taken them into custody for further questioning.