Mumbai: Two persons were arrested for allegedly smuggling 500 kilograms of Red Sandalwood worth Rs 2.5 crore. Police said the consignment was intercepted near Jogeshwari (W), late on Thursday evening, when it was being transported to the airport to be shipped to Dubai.
Police are trying to ascertain the source from where this Red Sandalwood also known as Rakta Chandan was stolen. The accused duo has been booked under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Indian Forest Act. On Thursday evening, acting on a tip-off, a team from Amboli police station intercepted a truck near Veera Desai Road in Jogeshwari (W).
When police checked the truck and its consignment, they found 500 kilograms of Red Sandalwood packed in it. Police arrested the two accused, Ejaaz Fateh Sayyed (31) and Sufyan Islam Shaikh (19), who were in the truck, which was used to transport the consignment. Police enquired with Sayyed and Shaikh, who confessed of having smuggled the Red Sandalwood, which was eventually to be shipped to Dubai.
The Red Sandalwood is expensive in the market and is sold at Rs 50,000 per kilogram. “The duo has been arrested and have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for theft (section 379) and other sections of the Indian Forest Act.
Police are quizzing the duo to ascertain the source from where the expensive wood was obtained and the destination where the consignment was to be delivered,” said Bharat Gaikwad, the senior police inspector of Amboli police station.
Police have been keeping a watchful eye on people carrying suspicious looking consignments, since drugs and assorted products are being smuggled through international carriers.
The Red Sandalwood is used for treating digestive tract problems, fluid retention, cough and blood purification. In manufacturing companies, it is also used as a flavouring agent in alcoholic beverages.
