NEW DELHI: In a joint operation with Andhra Pradesh Police, the Delhi Police has arrested two men and recovered around 10 tonnes of Red Sandalwood worth Rs six crore, officials said on Tuesday.
The Red Sanders had been illegally smuggled from Tirupati to Delhi. A case was registered in August at Tirupati police station concerning the theft of Red Sandalwood.
The Andhra Pradesh Police apprehended people who disclosed that the logs were being transported to Delhi. Acting on the information provided by the AP task force, a joint team of STF Southeast District and Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) of AP Police was formed, a senior police officer said.
The team developed intelligence and conducted a raid at a godown in Tughlakabad village. During the operation, they recovered about 9,500 kg of Red Sanders that had been illegally smuggled from Tirupati to Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari said.
The accused have been identified as Irfan and Amit Sampat Pawar. They were nabbed on Monday. Following their interrogation, the joint team raided a godown in Tughlakabad village, recovering about 10 tonnes of red sandalwood.
The accused had illegally acquired the Red Sandalwood logs from Andhra Pradesh in the first week of August and concealed them in a truck to bring them to Delhi, the DCP said.
During sustained interrogation, the accused admitted they were planning to smuggle the logs to China and South Asian countries, where Red Sanders is highly valued for its medicinal properties.
Further investigation is in progress to uncover their other links, Tiwari said.
Irfan, a resident of Hyderabad, used to smuggle Red Sandalwood for his livelihood. He was previously arrested in the Tirupati police station area in 2023 for smuggling Red Sandalwood.
Pawar, a resident of Thane in Navi Mumbai, also used to smuggle Red Sandalwood for his livelihood, police added.
