The Bhopalpura police arrested 2 members of the inter-district sandalwood theft gang on Tuesday and booked them for stealing sandalwood from the district collector’s bungalow. One of the arrested accused had committed the theft from the collector’s house in 2011.

The arrested accused Heera Lal Harijan (Nimbahera) and his aid Laluram alias Lala Salvi (Nikumbh village of Chittor) revealed that Heera had in 2011 stolen sandalwood tree and had full knowledge of the compound. Taking the advantage, Heera planned another theft on 22^nd July in which he cut two trees, shifted them in his car and fled from the scene with his aid, said SP Goyal after interrogating him.

Goyal said that since Heera had already been arrested previously for the same crime, this time the needle pointed towards him. Immediately the police team launched a search and nabbed him from one of his hideouts. At the police station, Heera accepted stealing sandalwood trees from the collector’s house and revealed the name of his aid, Laluram after which he was also arrested.

51 kg of sandalwood was successfully recovered by police from Heera who has been with his gang committing the crime since 10 years at Kota, Dungarpur, Sirohi and Udaipur.