Red sandalwood worth Rs 8 crore seized in MP, 3 arrested

Bhopal: Over 15,000 kilogram of red sandalwood worth around Rs eight crore has been seized in Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Sunday. Three persons have been arrested in this connection, he said.

"The forest department's special task force last month seized 15,500 kg of red sandalwood, also known as 'rakt chandan', from the possession of two persons, who are natives of Tamil Nadu, at Khalghat toll plaza in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district," a public relations officer said.

Based on the information provided by these two persons, one more accused was nabbed from Thiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu, he said."The sandalwood consignment, worth nearly Rs 8 crore, was being transported from Chennai to Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh," he said. According to the official, the accused admitted that they brought the consignment from a protected area spread around the hills of Tirupati-Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh.

This type of sandalwood is in great demand abroad and is used in making medicines, idols and musical instruments, he said.

A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Biological Diversity Act and the Indian Forest Act, he added.