Sandalwood racket busted

Sleuths attached to the Mumbai crime branch intercepted a truck at the Dahisar check naka early on Saturday morning, immediately after it checked into the city limits, supposedly carrying a consignment of marble stones. An inspection revealed 7.5 tonnes of red sandalwood that was intended to be shipped out of the country through the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). The seized sandalwood is valued at Rs2.5 crore.

Subsequent investigations led the police officials to intercept another loaded truck with 7.5 tonnes as well as 20 tonnes of sandalwood stored in a Kalamboli godown. The sleuths arrested the two drivers - Angaj Kumar Jaiswal and Dinesh Pandit - who drove down to Mumbai wit h the truck that originated in Mysore.

Assistant police inspector (API) Avinash Dharmadhikari told DNA, “The drivers had planned to take the route from Aarey colony road to Mulund check naka, but entered the city limits to collect documents required for the export of the consignment by Sanaa Exports.”

API Suryakant Talekar, who was part of the team, said, “Red sandalwood is a banned export item and has a great demand overseas.”