Aurangabad, Dec 5:
The Pundliknagar police arrested a sandal wood thief by laying a trap near Adgaon Mauli off Savangi By-pass road on early hours of Saturday.
According to the details, the police received the information that three persons from Adgaon Mauli village are coming to Aurangabad city to steal the sandalwood. Accordingly, a trap was laid on the Adgaon Mauli to Savangi By-pass road on Firday night near a speed breaker. Three suspects came on a motorcycle at the spot and reduced the motorcycle''s speed due to the speed breaker. The members of the raiding team rushed to nab them. However, two of them managed to flee away from the scene on the motorcycle, but the squad arrested one suspect.
The arrested has been identified as Nasib Khan Munir Khan (22, Adgaon Mauli). The police interrogated him, and he confessed that they were going to Aurangabad to cut sandalwood at the Bus Stand area. He with the help of three other accomplices stole sandal wood from various parts of the city in the past three to four months. They sold the stolen wood to a trader at Mauli Adgaon for Rs 1600 per kg, Nasib told the police.
One month back, the accused and his accomplices tried to steal sandalwood in the Jawaharnagar police station jurisdiction. One accused Sharukh Khan was arrested at that time but the others were at large since then. Later, they stole a sandalwood tree from the Pundliknagar police station jurisdiction. The police are now searching for Nasib’s accomplice and the trader.
The police action was executed by API Ghansham Sonawane, Ramesh Sangle, Balaram Chaure, Shivaji Gaikwad, Jalinder Mate, Pravin Muley, Deepak Jadhav, RajeshYadmal, Vilas Doiphode, Ajay Kamble and others.