Gir Somnath district police on Thursday arrested two men of Madhya Pradesh with 23 kilogrammes of white sandalwood which they had allegedly harvested from Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (GNPWLS) forest.
Acting on a tip off, a team of the Local Crime Branch of Gir Somnath police detained Prakash Chandravanshi (40) and Sanjay Chandravanshi (21) from near bus station in Talala town of Gir Somnath district after they were found in possession of 23 kg of white sandlwood pieces packed in travelling bags. ‘They were trying to board a vehicle after cutting a sandlwood tree ans packing its pieces in bags when our team detained them,’ Manoharsinh Jadeja, superintendent of police of Gir Somnath told The Indian Express.
Police said that Prakash and Sanjay are bot residents of Bhilsuda village in Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh. ‘During questioning, the duo said that they had been tipped off by one Jakir Mandi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh who is acquainted with Talala and showed them the tree. The duo were to deliver the wood, having Rs1.15 lakh market value, to one Lalo Mandi, a trader in Madhya Pradesh,’ Jadeja further said, adding, ‘We have detained them under CrPC Section 41(1)(d) and will hand them over to Gujarat forest department for further action as the offence relates to cutting of protected tree species and entering a wildlife sanctuary illegally.’
Police siad that Prakash and Sanjay cut down one sandalwood tree inside the Gir forest near Talala by using a saw, cut its trunk into piece and then packed them into bags.
Gir forest is the only natural home of Asiatic lions in the world and where protection regime is one of the strongest in the state.