Mumbai: D-gang link to Rs 9 crore red sanders haul

MUMBAI: The Dawood gang's role has been found during a probe in the seizure of 500kg red sanders worth Rs 2.5 crore with the arrest of two made on Thursday. The arrest of Ejaz Sayyed (31) and Sufiyan Shaikh (19) helped the Amboli police to raid a godown in Kurla (west) and led to the seizure of 1,345kg of sanders worth Rs 6.5 crore. A probe showed that the sanders had been smuggled and stored at a godown for 3-4 months and was to be exported to China and Hong Kong via Dubai where the wood is mainly used to make furniture, musical instruments and small dolls and for making medicine.
Sayyed and Shaikh are carriers while the accused who had stocked the alleged smuggled sanders at the rented godown has gone into hiding on learning of the arrest. After the duo revealed that they were assigned to parcel 500kg sanders on Thursday, additional commissioner of police (west) Manoj Sharma supervised a team-DCP Paramjit Singh Dahiya, Amboli police senior inspector Bharat Gaikwad, inspector Daya Nayak and detection staff-that raided the godown and seized huge sanders wrapped in thermocol and packed in cardboard cartons. "At the cargo parcel at Sahar they listed it as high-quality wood," said the officer.
Inspector Nayak said during the probe they learnt that D-Gang's men names has propped up. "Investigations are on to get details of the location from where it has been smuggled and stored in Kurla. Already, the gang has exported a big consignment," he said.
Senior inspector Gaikwad said that the godown owner has been called for questioning. Locals said they noticed the wood being stored in the godownfor four months. A probe showed that the sanders are exported to China via Dubai. Total 1,845kg red sanders worth Rs 9.22 crore has been seized. They used to declare in the cargo parcel as wood used to make furniture," he said.