A sandalwood tree was allegedly cut down and stolen from the bungalow of senior IAS officer Vivek Porwal in Bhopal’s high-security Char Imli area, next to the residence of Director General of Police Kailash Makwana, prompting a police investigation and renewed scrutiny of security in government residential zones.
The theft reportedly took place between 2am and 3.15am on Tuesday. According to police, unidentified suspects entered the premises, felled the tree and escaped with its middle stem, leaving behind the branches and other parts. The incident came to light on Tuesday morning.
Habibganj police have launched an investigation and are examining CCTV footage from the area. Station House Officer Sanjeev Chouksey said the footage showed three suspects in the vicinity. Two of them allegedly entered the bungalow and cut down the tree, while the third remained outside.
Police have not confirmed an allegation that the suspects arrived in a car. Investigators are working to identify those captured in the footage and are questioning people previously accused of sandalwood theft to determine whether they had any role in the latest incident.
Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said multiple teams had been deployed to investigate the case. The police are examining CCTV footage and other leads as part of efforts to trace the suspects.
Char Imli is one of Bhopal’s prominent government residential areas, with homes of senior IAS and IPS officers, politicians and other public figures. The latest incident has brought attention to a pattern of thefts and attempted intrusions reported from Char Imli and the nearby 74 Bungalows locality.
In December 2025, a sandalwood tree was found completely felled inside the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly premises during the winter session, while two other trees showed signs of attempted cutting. Arera Hills police later arrested three men accused of entering the premises at night and cutting the trees. In November 2025, suspects allegedly cut six sandalwood trees at Gufa Mandir in the Koh-e-Fiza area, fleeing with three of them.
Other reported incidents include the theft of jewellery from a deputy collector’s bungalow in Char Imli between November 3 and 9, 2025, the alleged snatching of two mobile phones from a senior IPS officer near his bungalow in September 2025, and an attempted break-in at the residence of an additional chief secretary in January 2025.
Earlier incidents included the burglary of a former minister’s Char Imli bungalow in August 2024 and the theft of sandalwood trees from government residential areas and a Char Imli park in 2020. Police action and further identification of suspects in the latest case will determine the next steps in the investigation.
