Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Border Security Force (BSF) has foiled sandalwood smuggling attempts at its Reoti Shooting Range, the same site where Union Home Minister Amit Shah had participated in a grand plantation drive last year, during which nearly 1.2 million saplings were planted.
Spread across 112 acres with dense forest cover, the range became a target for sandalwood thieves who were gradually cutting and stealing trees.
BSF officials said that the accused, identified as Vikram, son of Girdharilal, resident of Khoriya Padma village, Mahidpur tehsil, Ujjain district, was caught with tools including an axe, digger, and crowbar, along with two sandalwood logs.
During interrogation, he admitted to having committed sandalwood theft two to three times earlier. He was handed over to Banganga police for further investigation.
Officials added that given the vastness of the premises, catching the culprits was no easy task. Acting on specific intelligence, BSF devised a special strategy and launched a mission-style operation. For two consecutive nights, jawans conducted ambush patrols in the dense forest under complete darkness. Their efforts paid off when a thief was caught red-handed.
IG Alok Kumar Singh, CSWT BSF Indore, said, “The BSF team has done a commendable job in nabbing the miscreants. The local police are also working to uncover the entire network involved. Meanwhile, BSF and the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) are committed to developing the Reoti Range further by planting special species to create a dense forest cover.”
