In a daring act, a gang held three security guards of Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. (KIOCL) hostage before felling a 15-metre-tall sandalwood tree and carting the timber away on Wednesday night. Interestingly, these trees were a few yards away from the State Reserve Police Force parade ground and Madiwala police station.
S. Nagraj, one of the security guards, said that the gang was armed with sickles, axes, choppers and hacksaws. They barged into the premises about 15 minutes after a Hoysala patrolling vehicle passed by around 3.30 am. “They overpowered us and locked us up in a room. They threatened to slit our throats if we raised an alarm,” the 48-year-old said. While two members of the gang stood guard, the others went into the campus and came out carrying sandalwood logs. They loaded the logs into a SUV parked outside the gate with the engine on, he added.
There were three more security guards at the back gate but they did not realise the theft until the manager rushed to the spot after being alerted.
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Later, police learnt that the gang had stuck at a farmhouse a few minutes earlier. They made away with a sandalwood tree. The police are examining footage from CCTV cameras in the farmhouse.
Cases under Section 421 of Karnataka Forest Act and Sections 379 and 384 of the IPC have been registered.
The robbery took place just a few yards from the Madiwala police station