Two smugglers felling sandalwood tree at MM Hills held

Mysuru: Foresters at the Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills Wildlife Sanctuary arrested two individuals for allegedly smuggling sandalwood trees in the early hours of Saturday.
Around 1.30am on Saturday, Kollagal buffer zone range forest officer Praveen Kumar received a call from residents of the Kabini staff quarters, who informed him that a trio of miscreants were chopping sandalwood trees.Kumar, accompanied by deputy RFOs Deepak Mahalingam and Pramod, forest guards Ningamma and Eshwarappa and driver Ramu, rushed to the spot and were able to apprehend Arjun an Shivu, both of whom are 23 years old, and are residents of KM Doddi in Maddur taluk in Mandya.
MM Hills deputy conservator of forests (wildlife division) V Yedukondalu expressed the forest department’s commitment to root out gangs involved in smuggling forest contraband. “We have noticed that young people are becoming a part of these activities. We are investigating the nexus between those arrested, the middlemen and illegal traders so we can put an end to this menace,” he said.