The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Friday arrested four people involved in red sandalwood smuggling racket.
Police also recovered 133 red sandalwood logs weighing 4580 kilograms. The logs were estimated to be worth Rs 1.40 crore in the Indian Market and Rs 4.20 crore in the Chinese Market.
"Information was received that one truck carrying red sandalwood would be passing through Ring Road on Friday. A team led by Inspector Jatan Singh under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police Pankaj Singh was formed. A trap was laid near Ashram Chowk and the truck was intercepted at 9 pm and three persons Krishan (27), Ravinder (24) and Neeraj sehgal (38) were arrested," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch, STARS & Special Task Force) Dr. G Ram Gopal Naik stated.
"133 logs were recovered from the truck which was concealed behind cartons of incense sticks. A wildlife inspector was called on the spot and the recovered logs were identified as Red Sanders (Pterocarpus Santalinus). Accordingly a case under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code and Indian Forest Act were registered," Naik said.
"During interrogation, the accused persons told about one of their associate, identified as Nikhil Salwan, who was also arrested. They revealed that they loaded the trucks with Red Sandalwood from a Transportation centre in Bangalore and to conceal the presence of the Red Sandalwood, they used to put cartons of Incense Sticks so that their smell could not be detected. From Bangalore, they smuggled these logs to Delhi and its neighbouring regions and delivered them to receivers who store them in godowns situated in Delhi, Noida and other neighbouring regions," DCP revealed.
"One of the accused Neeraj has a godown in Greater Noida where he stored the smuggled sandalwood and would supply it to potential customers in different parts of the country and abroad. More arrests and recovery of huge quantity of Red Sandalwood is expected as raids are going in several places in Delhi and its neighbouring regions," the police officer said further.
