A gang of seven sandalwood thieves, armed with a knife, cut down and stole a sandalwood tree in broad daylight from a company premises. The daring robbery occurred on Saturday at the Herman Finochem Company located in the Chikalthana industrial area.
Santosh Phulare (49) and his colleague Deepak Bansode were on duty as usual at the company on Saturday night. A group of six to seven thieves climbed over the security wall and entered the premises at 4 am . Two of the thieves caught and assaulted Santosh and Deepak. They were then confined to a cabin, and the thieves held a knife to their throats, ordering them to remain silent. Two other thieves stood guard with iron rods and wooden sticks. The gang then cut down a sandalwood tree from the company’s premises and took it away. After managing to escape, Phulare informed the company authorities and the police. A case has been registered at the MIDC Cidco police station.