A major sandalwood theft was reported from a private cardamom estate at Ramakkalmedu, near Nedumkandam, on Friday.
As per initial inquiry, 19 sandalwood trees were felled and smuggled out from the estate. Cases of sandalwood theft had been reported from the area earlier too.
It is estimated that the sandalwood smuggled was worth lakhs of rupees. The Forest department and the police have initiated an inquiry.
A senior official at the Nedumkandam police station said a petition was filed in this regard on Friday evening and an inquiry initiated. A police team would visit the site on Saturday morning to collect evidence. The details of the number of stolen trees would be available only then, he added.
Cardamom plantations have dual ownership with land under the Revenue department and trees owned by the Forest department. Only fallen and naturally dead trees are allowed to be removed from the plantations, for which the permission of the Forest department was needed.
Sandalwood trees naturally grow in private plantations on the border with Tamil Nadu. Unlike in Marayur, a proper estimate and monitoring of sandalwood trees are not done there. When a sandalwood tree from a private land is stolen, a case is registered with the police. The protection of the sandalwood trees is entrusted with the owner of the land.
