Man held for chopping sandalwood tree in Reserve Forest
A 58-year-old woodcutter was arrested in Vellore for illegally harvesting one tonne of sandalwood from a reserve forest. Police and forest officials recovered the logs and are searching for an accomplice who fled the scene.
Why it matters
Illegal logging poses a significant threat to biodiversity and protected forest ecosystems in India.
A 58-year-old man was arrested for chopping around one tonne of sandalwood in Anaicut reserve forest (RF) near Abdullapuram village, off Chennai–Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) in Vellore on Sunday.
Forest officials said that around one tonne of wooden logs was recovered from his hideout in his Kudisai village by a forest team. Along with his accomplice, who is absconding, the suspect, K. Elumalai, a woodcutter, trespassed into the RF many times for the past few months to check red sanders and sandalwood in the dense forest.
Forest officials said that during a routine patrol by Virinchipuram police, the police team found a gang led by Elumalai looking suspicious with a bag. Before the team could check the bag, two persons in the gang fled the spot while police nabbed Elumalai. Police also found a few logs of sandalwood in the bag.
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