Delhi Police has confiscated 10 tonnes of red sandalwood valued at Rs 6 crore and apprehended two smugglers with international connections, according to an official statement on Tuesday. The sandalwood was reportedly smuggled from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh with the intention of illegal export to China and other South Asian nations, where it is prized for its medicinal properties, DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari stated during a press conference. The operation was initiated following intelligence shared by Andhra Pradesh Police regarding the trafficking of red sandalwood logs stolen from Tirupati in August.
An FIR was filed in Tirupati related to the theft, and during the investigation, some individuals arrested by Andhra Pradesh Police revealed that the stolen logs had been sent to Delhi, the DCP explained. Acting on this information, a joint team from the Delhi Police STF and Andhra Pradesh intelligence conducted a raid at a warehouse in Tughlakabad. Approximately 9,500 kg of red sandalwood logs were recovered during the raid, leading to the arrest of two suspects: Irfan from Hyderabad and Amit Sampat Pawar from Thane in Mumbai. The suspects had acquired the logs from Andhra Pradesh in early August and hid them in trucks for transportation to Delhi.
This operation marks one of the largest confiscations of red sandalwood in Delhi, noted the officer. The accused intended to smuggle the shipment to international markets, specifically China and South Asian countries, where red sandalwood has a significant market due to its medicinal and commercial value. During questioning, the suspects admitted to sourcing the logs from Andhra Pradesh’s forest regions and transporting them using hidden compartments in trucks. The recovered logs were destined for international buyers through an organized smuggling network, the DCP added. Authorities are currently investigating to identify other members of the smuggling network and trace the financial operations behind the entire scheme.