Sandalwood thieves in devotees’ disguise nabbed at MM Hills

Chamarajanagar: In a major crackdown against sandalwood smuggling in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills, forest officials arrested a man posing as a devotee and caught a minor boy in a separate incident while attempting to steal sandalwood.

The arrested accused has been identified as Sedeyan, a native of Tamil Nadu. Acting on suspicion, forest personnel intercepted him near Ane Thale Dimba inside the reserve forest. Upon checking, they recovered 33 sandalwood billets he was attempting to smuggle out. Sedeyan was immediately taken into custody and is being interrogated for possible links to a larger smuggling network.

In another case, forest staff caught a minor boy red-handed while trying to cut sandalwood trees near Doddabarehalla in Kokkabore, Hanur taluk. The boy, along with two accomplices, had entered the forest disguised as devotees. When forest officials raided the spot, the two others managed to escape. The arrested minor is currently in custody, and officials are questioning him to trace the absconding suspects.

The fugitives have been identified as Perumal and Murugan, both hailing from Tamil Nadu. Forest officials suspect they are part of a wider cross-border sandalwood smuggling racket that has been exploiting the religious influx of devotees at the hill shrine to mask their illegal activities. Authorities revealed that the culprits often use the cover of pilgrimage crowds to enter the Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, fell sandalwood trees, and sneak out the logs concealed as offerings or personal belongings. This modus operandi has made it challenging for forest staff to track the smugglers amid thousands of genuine pilgrims visiting the temple daily.