In a daring act, a group of thieves chopped off a 20-feet tall sandalwood tree from the Institute of Wood Science and Technology on Friday night. The theft took place despite six security guards being posted on the premises.
The institute, situated next to the Indian Institute of Science and Aranya Bhavan, is considered to be in a high security zone, especially after the terror attack on IISc in 2005.
According to the police, the premises houses a few staff quarters.
A few residents woke up to the sound of tree felling and alerted the security guards before informing the local police station.
However, by the time police reached the spot, the gang had fled. The police suspect that the gang chopped the tree into billets which were loaded onto a vehicle parked outside the premises. The Sadashivanagar police have taken up a case and are investigating.
The Institute has hundreds of trees of different varieties and medicinal plants meant for research. It has round-the-clock security, with guards working in shifts, police told The Hindu .
The Sadashivanagar police are examining CCTV footage from adjacent areas to identify the gang.
Modus operandi
How did the gang bring down a 20-feet tall tree without alerting the security guards? Police suspect that the gang may have conducted a recce. They might have used a battery-operated power saw to fell the tree and chop it into billets.
