Forest official attacked with machete after team corners sandal smugglers

MANDYA: A Forest Department official and a sandalwood smuggler were seriously injured when a team of officials raided a reserve forest where the smugglers were felling sandalwood trees in a reserve forest area on Wednesday night.

Sandalwood smuggler Govindappa, who hails from Gendahalli village in Belur taluk of Hassan district, and his sons Shankar and Kumar were trying to fell sandalwood trees in the H N Kaval reserve forest area near Devalapura on Wednesday night.

Forest official Sakaiah was brought to hospital in a precarious condition.

Acting on specific information, a team of the Forest Department reached there and fired in the air in an attempt to the arrest the smugglers.

Suddenly, one of the smugglers attacked Forest official Sakaiah with a machete, injuring him grievously. The Forest team then fired another round in the air, but the splinters hit Govindappa.

Sandalwood smuggler sustained splinter wounds.

A profusely bleeding Sakaiah and Govindappa was were rushed to the government hospital in Nagamangala where they are being treated for their injuries.

The two sons of Govindappa have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.