Red sanders worth Rs 8 lakh seized at Red Hills

CHENNAI: Suburban police officials seized more than 700 kg of red sanders worth about Rs 8 lakh and arrested three men during a routine check at Red Hills on Sunday night. The exotic wood hidden under a cover of water packets was being transported in a small truck. The three arrested were identified as Noor Mohammed (30), Satish (28) and Raja (32).
According to police officials, the men were travelling in their truck on the Red Hills-Ponneri High Road when they were stopped by police officials near the Mundiyamman Nagar junction.A thorough search of the vehicle revealed the red sanders concealed inside. The men were bound for a godown in Ambattur where the smuggled goods were to be stored before being sold. The initial inquiries told the officials that the men had been carrying out the trade for the past three months along the stretch.
C Subramani, inspector of police, Red Hills, said, "We suspect that the men got the wood from smugglers near the Andhra Pradesh border. We were on night patrol and were conducting routine checks when we found the red sanders inside the vehicle." Officials said that they were still investigating and suspect that other bigger players could be involved in the racket.
Red sanders is the smugglers' item of choice because of its easy availability here and its high value in many East and South-East Asian countries. The wood's demand is fuelled by the fact that it is used to make many musical instruments.
Chennai has become a hub for red sanders smuggling in recent years because of its proximity to the reserve forests in the areas on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh where the wood is available in plenty. Despite customs officials and police making several seizures in recent times, police sources said, the smuggling of red sanders was still rampant.
A senior police official said, "The wood is stored in discreet godowns or in farm houses in the city's suburbs. From there it is then smuggled to the Chennai port and then taken out of the country. The smugglers usually register a container stating that it would be used to export a particular item. Once the customs seal is given, the containers are taken to the storage godowns and the lock is expertly cut without tampering the seal. The red sanders are loaded inside. In most cases, when the seal is not tampered with, it passes through during customs checks."
The last seizure of red sanders was made in November 2008 by customs officials at the Chennai port. In that case, red sanders worth Rs 40 lakh were seized from a Malaysia-bound ship by officials who had to call back the ship which was already on its way. An inspection revealed the smuggled goods.
sibi.arasu@timesgroup.com