Sandalwood thieves struck in the city again, taking away two fully-grown trees from the highly-secure ministers’ quarters complex on Sankey Road on Monday night.
The trees were located in the 6th quarter, which was under renovation. The quarters were allotted to Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge who is yet to occupy the house as the Public Works Department is renovating the place.
The security personnel of the premises had been withdrawn until completion of the renovation works, said a senior police officer.
The theft came to light when the policemen on patrol noticed that two trees, estimated to be 30 years old, had been chopped off.
“More than two people were involved in the theft. The culprits might have kept an eye on the area for some time and noticed the lack of security,” said an officer.
The vacant bungalow from where the trees were chopped is close to the quarters of Ministers Ramesh Jarkiholi and Bandeppa Kashempur, and High Court judge Justice S.N. Sathyanarayana.
The High Grounds police are analysing CCTV footage from in and around the area to identify the culprits. “We suspect that they might have gained entry posing as construction labourers and chopped off the trees before carrying them out. We have summoned construction labourers for questioning," an officer said.
Following the incident, police have tightened security in the complex.
Sandalwood thefts are not new to the city. Thieves have managed to steal trees from Forest Headquarters, Bangalore University campus, among other places. Much of what remains is in secure areas like army camps and government establishments.