Three Red Sandalwood Smugglers Arrested

Crime Branch has busted a gang of red sandalwood smugglers with the arrest of three persons namely (i) Manvar Singh Negi (30 yrs) r/o Bazadkhera, Almora, Uttrakhand, (ii) Ozhanmin Gai (54 yrs) r/o China and (iii) Cheng Hu Hua (43 yrs) r/o China and has recovered 2725 kg logs of banned red sandalwood alongwith a Canter (mini truck) from them.

On 06.09.2015, acting on secret information about red sandalwood smugglers, a team of Central Range laid a trap near Shanti Van. At about 2.10 pm, one Eicher Canter No.HR55-RZ-2607, coming from ITO side was intercepted at the instance of informer and two persons of Chinese origin namely Ozhanmin Gai and Cheng Hu Hua alongwith the Indian driver Manvar Singh Negi were apprehended. 2725 kg of smuggled/banned Red Sandalwood worth Rs. 1.25 crore was recovered from the Eicher Canter.  

Red sandalwood or Red sanders are one of the most valuable tree species in Indian Forestry. Its botanical name is ‘Petro Carpus Santa Linus’ and it is an important export product that is highly traded illegally in the international market. It provides cash incomes and adds considerably value to the national economy. This wood is highly expensive and used not only in medicinal purposes, but also in various industrial uses, and thus being over exploited from the source. The wood costs something about Rs. 3,000 -5,000 per kg in India and is in high demand at much higher price in China, Japan and other East Asian nations where it is reportedly used in the manufacturing of herbal aphrodisiacs. 

Red sanders are mainly found in Andhra Pradesh and north Tamil Nadu. The trees are naturally growing in the forests and since there is no systemic cultivation, at the face of increased exploitation, red sandalwood has become an endangered species in the country. A prohibited item for export, red sanders are a banned item in the list of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora.


A case vide FIR No.138/15 u/s 379/411/120-B IPC and 2/33/42/52/ 64 Indian Forest Act, 1927 was registered at PS Crime Branch in this regard and the accused persons have been arrested.

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