Maha: 2 held with 1845 kgs of red sandalwood worth Rs 9.22 cr

Two persons were arrested with 1,845 kilogrammes of red sandalwood, worth Rs 9.22 crore, that was to be exported illegally to China, a police official said Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, a tempo was intercepted Friday on Veera Desai Road in suburban Andheri, Inspector Daya Nayak of Amboli police station said.

He said 500 kilogrammes of red sandalwood was seized from the tempo and its two occupants were placed under arrest, Nayak said.

During interrogation, the duo revealed that a huge stock of red sandalwood was stored in a warehouse in Kurla, he said.

A raid on the warehouse netted 1345 kilogrammes of the wood in 22 boxes, Nayak said, adding that it was to be sent to China through Dubai.

The two have been charged under section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Forest Act, the official said.

Further probe was underway and efforts were on track the main accused, Nayak said.

Red sandalwood is an endangered plant species found predominantly in Andhra Pradesh and its export is mostly illegal.