Coimbatore: Four men had been arrested for trying to cut sandalwood trees from Picta soil near the Thadagam reserve forest on Tuesday.
The police identified them as Jolly Jacob, 55, from Wayanad, M Moideen, 44, from Palakkad, G Jagadeesh, 54, from Narasimhautakenpalayam and R Rajdendran, 36, Athikadavu near Mettupalayam.
According to forest officials, forest personnel in routine patrols in the forest between Koogampalayam and Kattanchimalai near Perinacenpalayam, have found men around 1am.
They informed their boss, who rushed to the place with a team of six members and surrounded the criminals, who tried to cut sandalwood trees.
They were taken to forestry office for inquiry.
“The gang was stopped before they could fall in a tree,” said a forest department official.
The department slapped the fine of each of the Rs 10,000 in men.
Forestest foil efforts to smuggle sandalwood
