Stolen Bhopal sandalwood supplied to Kannauj for perfume manufacturing

Staff Reporter:

BHOPAL Police have disman tled a significant inter-state smuggling syndicate involved in stealing sandalwood from the state capital and supplying it to Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh—India’s premier perfume manufactur ing hub. Investigations revealed that the stolen timber was smuggled to Kannauj due to the high demand and aromatic quality required for premium perfume production. ACP Manish Bhardwaj stat ed that three suspects were apprehended following a failed attempt to steal sandalwood trees from the high-security Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) premises.

The accused have been identified as Anees Khan (23), a resident of Katara Hills; Sadiq Khan (23) from Sehore; and Mohammad Aslam Mewati (52) from Nishatpura. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to transporting sandalwood stolen from var ious parts of Bhopal and neighboring districts to Kannauj. The Uttar Pradesh city houses hun dreds of perfume distilleries where sandalwood is a prized raw material. Leveraging this demand, the gang sold the illic it timber at exorbitant prices.

The accused also admitted to a recent sandalwood theft at a prominent premises on VIP Road. Police believe the syndi cate systematically targeted secluded government and pri vate properties that housed mature, high-value sandalwood trees. Established Supply Chain Senior police officials noted that one of the arrested indi viduals, Anees Khan, is a habit ual offender with a prior crim inal record in sandalwood theft. His involvement suggests a well established supply chain con necting local thieves to out-of state buyers. The Bhopal Police are now conducting a rigorous investi

tion to identify other mem bers of the racket and track down absconding associates. Given the nature of the crime, other police stations in the city where similar thefts have been reported are likely to seek remand of the suspects for fur ther questioning.