Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) recently arrested a gang of five people for allegedly stealing sandalwood trees from Hollywood Layout in Sadahalli.
Venkatesh (51) of Sira, Venkataramana alias Raman (42) of Puttaparthi, Venkatesh alias Sanni (28) of Nelamangala, Anil Kumar (42) of Sidlaghatta, and Krishnamurthy (40) of Kadiri were arrested with 40kg of sandalwood, estimated to be worth Rs. 50,000 in the market.
The gang had cut down a 15-foot-tall tree on February 9 and another 20-foot-tall tree on April 20 at the same location, informed police.
According to sources, the gang leader, Venkatesh, is alleged to be a habitual offender.
All five men were arrested and sent to a local court, where they were remanded in judicial custody.