Illegal red sanders seized, again

The Navi Mumbai crime branch has seized another major consignment of illegal red sanders from two trailer trucks worth `30 crore in the international market. Following a tip-off, the police raided the two trucks parked at a dhaba near Panvel and Uran and arrested two men. DCP (crime) Shrikant Pathak said, “We received a tip-off about the presence of two trucks carrying red sanders slated to be illegally exported out of the country. We then formed a team of officers who identified the hotel and raided the trucks. Two persons were caught and they have admitted to smuggling the contraband. Forty-two tonnes of red sanders worth `8 crore in the international market and `12 crore in the domestic market have been seized.” The consignment was destined for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) from where it was to be put onto a container carrier ship headed to a Southeast Asian nation, suspectedly Indonesia or Malaysia. Normally, red sanders, exclusive to India, found in the forests bordering Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are in great demand abroad for their medicinal value and use in the manufacturing of furniture. The natural resource is, however, protected by various domestic wildlife acts and international treaties to which India is a signatory. The seized red sanders have now been handed over to the forest department. Smugglers normally swap the original contents with the red sanders in the containers while en route to the port. They opt for the “factory stuffing” method where the contents are examined and documented by officers of the central excise at the factory itself which eliminates the need of inspection at the port.