Junior Veerappan was on axing spree
Sandalwood smuggler Ponnan held in the city on Thursday. (Photo: DC/File)
Coimbatore:After the recent spate of sandalwood smuggling in Coimbatore, the forest officials have nabbed a sandalwood smuggler, Ponnan, 35, a tribal from Konjur village near Sholaiyur in Kerala, who had allegedly axed sandal trees worth Rs 2 crores (about 2 tonnes) from the city.
About 10 kg of sandalwood have been seized from him and forest officials have launched a search for four of his accomplices. Coimbatore city has, over the last few years, lost many of its trees to Ponnan’s gang.
According to Coimbatore forest range officer R. G. Sekar, a team of forest staff was patrolling the reserve forest at Mangarai and Thadagam Road early Thursday. Suddenly, torchlights flashed from the forests near the Annuvavi Subramania Swamy temple.
When the forest staff reached there, they found five people attempting to cut down a row of sandalwood trees. Ponnan was caught, while the other four managed to escape. Ponnan was brought to the office of the Coimbatore forest range office and interrogated. He told the officials that his gang, comprising Sadaiyan, Nanjan, Murugan and Mayilan, had cut down two trees in VOC Park last month, a tree at Race Course road in May this year and another tree at the Army camp at Madukkarai last year.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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