Thieves chop two sandalwood trees at Raj Bhavan
   Date :22-Jun-2022

Raj Bhavan  
 
 
 
Staff Reporter
Even high security area is no longer safe as thieves in a most daring attempt chopped off two full-grown sandalwood trees from the Raj Bhavan campus on Sunday. Raj Bhavan, it is the residence of Maharashtra Government Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, is a lush green premises and is in fact more of a semi jungle in the urban landscape. It is just impossible for outsiders to enter the premises without permission. Therefore, the act of unidentified persons in carrying out the heist at place like Raj Bhawan has raised eye brows in the security establishment.
According to Sadar police, the theft came to fore on Monday morning when a gardener noticed the stumps of the sandalwood trees. He immediately informed the matter to Ramesh Yeole, In-charge, Raj Bhawan, here. Yeole immediately briefed his superiors in Mumbai about the sensitive matter and as per their advice drove down to adjoining Sadar Police Station and lodged an FIR.
The report of theft at Raj Bhawan rang alarm bells ringing in the city police administration. Entire top brass made a dash to the spot in the sprawling campus for spot inspection.
A convoy of the police station in the meantime rushed to the spot and cops performed spot panchanama and took pictures. An offence under Section 379 of Indian Penal Code was registered by the police.
Senior Police Inspector Vinod Choudhary of Sadar police station said that the case was being investigated from all angles as the incident is a challenge for the police force. "We are checking CCTV footage from the nearby areas and also activated our informers and Choudhary sounded hopeful of getting a clue about the thieves who pulled of the daring heist,’ the officer stated while talking to ‘The Hitavada’.
This is reportedly the second incident of sandalwood tree theft at Nagpur city in the past one year. Earlier, a sandalwood tree was found chopped from the official residence of a Deputy Commissioner of Police rank official in Civil Lines last year. The said tree was in the compound of the officer's quarter from where it was chopped by the thieves. The theft had also caused embarrassment to the city police, though later the force hunted down the accused and locked him behind the bars to prove their point.
Apart from the Governor, the Raj Bhawan is also used by the President, the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker and other high ranking government officials during their visits to Nagpur. The theft of sandalwood tree from Raj Bhawan campus in fact exposes the chinks in the security cordon of the most high profile address of city.
Sources said the thieves most probably might have gained access to the garden area where the sandalwood trees are located from the rear of the Raj Bhawan, it opens up towards Sadar area. However, it's still a puzzle as to how the thieves come to know about the presence of sandalwood trees and they swooped only on the selected one without disbarring the other habitat is a big question.
Sandalwood comes under schedule three category and illicit felling and smuggling of sandalwood is punishable with imprisonment.