The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday seized 133 metric tonnes of red sanders, hidden in 8 different containers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).
The contraband, that has been valued around `55 crore in the international market, was intended to be smuggled out of the country. The accused are, however, still at large and efforts are on to trace them.
According to DRI officials, they raided the container yard at JNPT following a tip-off, and opened the eight containers to find red sanders. “Four containers were 20 feet, while the other four were 40 feet long. Documentation revealed that some of the containers were declared to be carrying tiles and marbles, while others had declared onions as their contents. The original contents were swapped with the red sanders en route to the port,” said a DRI official.
The officials said sandalwood, exclusive to India, is found in the tropical forests bordering Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. They are in high demand worldwide for their usage in
manufacturing medicines and other clinical drugs. “They are largely exported to south-east Asia and China. In this case, however, we strongly suspect the destination to be China. JNPT is the hub of illegal exporting of red sanders,” said a DRI source.
The export of red sanders is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to which India is a signatory.
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Thief chased, held in mulund
Age Correspondent
Mumbai, July 15
A bike-borne thief, who was fleeing after snatching a purse from a 50-year-old woman in Mulund (west), landed in the police net after being chased by another motorist who heard the victim’s cries. The 21-year-old accused, who is in his final year of graduation, was subsequently placed under arrest for theft.
The incident took place on Monday at around 8 am when Chetana Shah (50) was waiting for an autorickshaw on the Kasturba Road at Sarvoday Nagar to go to her mother’s place. Ajinkya Anil Sukhatme (21), came from the rear on his Yamaha FZ bike, snatched her purse and began speeding away. Ms Shah raised an alarm that was heard by other pedestrians.
“Shah’s neighbour Viral was driving to his office in a Toyota Innova when he saw her
running frantically after the biker. He turned around his vehicle to chase him and dashed into Sukhatme’s bike causing him to fall. The locals then handed him over to us,” said an officer from Mulund police station.