Eleven sandalwood trees stolen from Pune’s NCL premises

Around 11 sandalwood trees were stolen by unidentified persons from the premises of the high security National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pashan on August 21

Around 11 sandalwood trees were stolen by unidentified persons from the premises of the high security National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pashan on August 21.

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Parag Chitanvis ( 53), NCL senior security officer and resident of Pashant has lodged an FIR with the Chatuhshrungi police. The police have booked the culprits under IPC 379 ( punishment for theft ) and Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Preservation and Protection of Trees Act, 1975 Act- Section 8 and Section 21. Police Constable Irfan Momin, the investigator in the case said that the crime had taken place over a period of time and investigation is ongoing in the case.

On June 27, as many as seven fully grown sandalwood trees located at Boat Club road inside Ammunition Factory Khadki (AFK) were found hacked by unidentified persons Purushottam Kumar, junior works manager at AFK lodged an FIR against the unidentified thieves at Khadki police station. According to the police, the thieves gained entry into the high security Boat Club zone of the factory and chopped off the trees from the trunk and escaped at midnight. The investigation is still on and no arrest has been made so far.

On June 19, eight sandalwood trees were stolen from the open premises of AFK. The factory’s junior works manager, Keshav Patange (59) had registered an FIR with the Khadki police stating that the thieves entered the premises from an internal road near Holkar bridge and used sharp weapons to chop the trees and steal them on the intervening night of June 19. The AFK manufactures small arms ammunitions, while the High Explosives (HE) factory produces explosives’ powders required for production of artillery and small ammunitions. They supply ammunition to the army, the paramilitary and police forces of the country. No breakthrough has been made in this case.