Man held for chopping sandalwood tree in Reserve Forest

A 58-year-old man was arrested for chopping around one tonne of sandalwood in Anaicut reserve forest (RF) near Abdullapuram village, off Chennai–Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) in Vellore on Sunday.Forest officials said that around one tonne of wooden logs was recovered from his hideout in his Kudisai village by a forest team. Along with his accomplice, who is absconding, the suspect, K. Elumalai, a woodcutter, trespassed into the RF many times for the past few months to check red sanders and sandalwood in the dense forest. Forest officials said that during a routine patrol by Virinchipuram police, the police team found a gang led by Elumalai looking suspicious with a bag. Before the team could check the bag, two persons in the gang fled the spot while police nabbed Elumalai. Police also found a