Five forest employees suspended in Tirupattur for stealing red grinders

Five forest employees attached to the Tirupattur forest range were suspended on Thursday in connection with the theft of 1.75 tonnes of red sanders, estimated to be worth around ₹50,000, from a government sandalwood depot in Tirupattur town a few days ago.

Forest officials said M. Mahendran, District Forest Officer (DFO), Tirupattur, has suspended the concerned employees pending enquiry. They were identified as N. Jothilingam, Principal Forest Conservator; Forest Guards R. Mohan Kumar, P. Rammurthy and C. Renu; and P. Paramaguru, Forester.

Forest officials said the suspended employees were on duty on July 18 when the incident took place at the depot. During a routine inspection of the stock at the depot, a team of forest officials found that a total of 55 red sander wood logs weighing around 1.75 tonnes were missing.

Forest officials said the government warehouse is used to store sandalwood and red sanders seized from smugglers during surprise checks in areas on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border. Later, confiscated wooden logs are used to make incense sticks.

A case was registered by the Tirupattur city police based on the complaint of the foresters. Special teams have been formed to catch the suspects and recover the lost wooden logs. Another probe is underway.

Meanwhile, forest officials on Thursday seized two wooden logs from a rented house at Somanaickenpatti village near Jolarpet town in Tirupattur. Two suspects, V. Chandru, 39, and N. Rajiv Gandhi, 43, were arrested in connection with the seizure of red sander logs estimated to be worth three million rupees. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.

Published – 24 Jul 2026 0:46 IST