In one of the biggest seizures, police today recovered precious red sandalwood weighing 1445 kgs from a garage, which was supposed to be smuggled out of the country en route Delhi.
Police estimated the value of the seizure at Rs 1.73 crore in international market, and arrested a 25-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh in this connection.
"A team of Special Operation Group (SOG) of the city crime branch arrested Dinesh Rajput and seized a stock of 1445 kgs of red sanders from his custody in a garage at Shah-e-Alam toll naka area here," police said in a statement.
The value of the red sanders contraband is estimated to be Rs 1.73 crore in international market and the consignment was brought here with the purpose to smuggle it out of the country, it said.
The SOG suspects involvement of an inter-state smuggling syndicate.
The alleged smuggling racket was busted when an SOG team comprising three police sub-inspectors raided the auto-garage on instructions of senior police officials and found some woods wrapped in as many as 55 gunny bags, the statement said.
The SOG then informed a team of Forest department, which confirmed that the consignment was indeed of red sanders.
In the primary questioning, Rajput, a native of Gonda district, said his younger brother Brij Singh had asked him to collect red sanders from Chhatral area here and keep it in a garage in Shah-e-Alam area, the statement said.
Rajput was supposed to travel to Delhi with the consignment in train and deliver it to Brij Singh there.
As per the statement, Rajput has been staying here since last two years and running a transport firm, Shiv Cargo.
The SOG is investigating possible involvement of racketeers from other states.
Red sandalwood or red sanders is prized for its rich red wood, used mainly for making furniture, and is often smuggled to meet its high demand in international market.
Incidentally, around 20 persons, suspected to be working for the red sandalwood mafia, were gunned down in an encounter with police in Andhra Pradesh yesterday.
