Sleuths attached to Mangalore Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) arrested four persons, including the kingpin, for attempting to smuggle 30,000 kg of red sanders worth `15 crore in the international market.
According to sources, kingpin Charles Shobraj Mustaffa (50) and his three aides were involved in smuggling red sanders from India to Dubai, China and other countries.
According to sources, 30,000 kg of Red Sanders also known as red sandalwood or red gold is worth over `15 to `20 crore in international market.
It is alleged that DRI sleuths picked up Mustaffa, who hails from Kannur in Kerala, from a swanky hotel here at the crack of dawn on Tuesday. Mustaffa allegedly has over a dozen cases of red sanders smuggling registered against him in Dubai and elsewhere.
Based on the information provided by Mustaffa, a DRI team reportedly traced the container in New Mangalore port and found the wood concealed in a box. “Subsequent raids in godowns in secluded places in Bolar and Kannur by DRI sleuths also yielded a rich haul,” sources in DRI told Express.
“If the arrest had been delayed by a few hours, Mustaffa would have boarded the morning flight to Malaysia via Chennai,” sources in DRI said.
Mustaffa, Abdul Kalam (45), Edward George (36) and Mohammed Salhi were remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday night. DRI sleuths have launched a search for the owner of Rnath Agencies who has gone into hiding.
Sanders Concealed in Plywood
Following increased vigilance by the Forest Department, Police and Customs, Tuesday’s arrest revealed that the smugglers have been adopting ingenious ways to smuggle logs. DRI sources said that Mustaffa, now based in Malaysia, used to smuggle out red sanders either through his Fathima Export firm or another agency.
In this case he was found to have lured Kochi-based Rnath Exports into securing an export-import licence two months ago. The box full of logs was hidden by six to seven layers of plywood sheets which was stapled together with nails. Outwardly, it looked like a container of plywood sheets, sources in DRI said.
Such containers with the banned logs were made in local godowns and transported to the nearest port. “The involvement of men from a local stevedore agency, handling shipment and from Central Warehouse Corporation is being probed,” sources said. The total shipping bill was declared less than `10 lakh in order to avoid any suspicion.
Endangered Species
Spurt in smuggling of Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) endemic to Seshachalam hills in Andhra Pradesh has been placed in appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in 1995. Sources in DRI suspect that logs were transported to Kerala and Mangalore via Bangalore. A high demand has triggered a spurt in smuggling. In 2007-08, the total seizure of Red sanders at eight ports was 371.174 metric tonnes while in 2011-12, according to DRI’s annual report, it is 611.76 mt.
