Sandalwood smuggling resurfaces in Male Mahadeshwara Hills

Mysuru: Nearly two decades after the death of forest brigand Veerappan, sandalwood smuggling activity at Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar district has resurfaced. Foresters claim that smugglers sell sandalwood in the black market in Mysuru and Bengaluru.
Few months ago, miscreants chopped seven sandalwood trees in Talabetta in MM Hills forest and smuggled them. A forest officer told TOI that MM Hills had witnessed sandalwood smuggling by Veerappan and his gang two decades ago. “But his death had brought down smuggling to almost zero. There were a couple of incidents in 2012. However, as the smugglers were arrested, the situation returned to normal. But the recent incident is worrisome as it happened when the roads leading to the forest are closed due to the lockdown,” the officer said. It is also a setback for the efforts of the foresters who are demanding MMWS to be declared as a tiger reserve, he added,
Meanwhile, foresters have started collecting information regarding people with criminal record living in the villages on the forest fringes. As the forest checkposts and all entry and exit points are closed, they suspect that the smugglers after chopping the sandalwood trees might have hid the logs somewhere in the forest as it is nearly impossible to transport them out of the forest. The forest staff also conducted combing operation from Anethale to Talabetta to search for the logs.
Male Mahadeshwara wildlife division deputy conservator of forests (DCF) V Yedukondalu said that smugglers usually sell the smuggled sandalwood to middlemen in the black market in Mysuru and Bengaluru.