Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (EP)
Kasargod, Oct 9: Forest officials have arrested the main accused in the case where over 885.56 kg sandalwood logs were found near the residence of the district deputy commissioner Dr D Sajith Babu.
The arrested accused has been identified as Nayanmarmoola resident V Abdul Khader (60). Meanwhile, police are on the lookout for the other accused, Ibrahim Harshad and the lorry driver who are absconding. On October 6 about a quintal of sandalwood pieces worth about Rs 2.5 crore was seized from near the DC's residence.
The deputy commissioner’s vehicle driver and gunman who heard the noise near the DC's residence in the morning helped unearth the network. Forest officials and police personnel under the leadership of DC Dr D Sajith Babu had confiscated the sandalwood on the basis of information provided by the driver and the gunman.
For the transportation of sandalwood, a truck that was meant for carrying cement was readied. It also had a special cabin inside the luggage bay of the truck for concealing sandalwood pieces. The police had stated that the sandalwood pieces would be handed over to the forest department.