Thieves axed a red sanders tree from inside a compound located in Marripalem VUDA Layout and made good with the trunk of the tree on Tuesday night. The thieves, who seemed to be professional wood-cutters or red sanders smugglers, used electric saw to cut down the tree and carry away the huge trunk, despite the house being located in a well-inhabited colony and owners being present at home.
According to I. Gopi, a civil contractor and owner of the house, the miscreants would have committed the act in the wee hours between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m.
“We last saw the full tree at around 11 p.m. and thereafter went to sleep. We realised the theft only in the morning,” he said.
Mr. Gopi told The Hindu that the tree had sprouted on its own in the garden of their compound and was aged around 18 years. It had grown to a height of about 20 feet and the diameter of the trunk was estimated to be around two feet.
According to him, the market value of the hacked portion could be between Rs. 8 lakh and 9 lakh.