Mangrove roots resembling sandalwood seized in Bhitarkanika National Park

Forest department personnel in Odisha’s Kendrapara district on Friday seized around 15 quintals of mangrove roots that bore resemblance to sandalwood in Bhitarkanika National Park and arrested nine people, including five women, for trespassing into the protected forest and felling trees, officials said.

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Ten quintals of Salacia prinoides roots and stems, locally called ‘Batara’, an important mangrove species, packed in 20 sacks and five quintals of Ceriops decandra roots, locally called ‘Garani’, packed in 10 sacks, were seized from Kalibhanjadia forest block of the national park. The tools used for cutting down the standing mangrove trees wer