The Special Task Force (STF) of the State Crime Branch nabbed three sandalwood smugglers and seized a huge quantity of the aromatic wood worth about Rs 70 lakh from the Dalajodi forest under the Tangi police limits in Cuttack district on Thursday evening.
Acting on a tipoff, the STF detected a case of illegal possession and deal of sandalwood by the smugglers and raided the place. The cops seized sandalwood weighing 4.60 quintals and arrested the three persons.
The accused are Hemanta Chatois and Kanhu Chanran Bhoi of Tangi area in Cuttack district and Dandapani Das of Khandapada area in Nayagarh district. The police also seized other incriminating articles from their possession.
“The accused persons could not produce any valid licences or documents in support of possession of such a huge quantity of sandalwood. In this connection, a case has been registered at the Tangi police station for necessary legal action,” informed a senior police official.