VELLORE: Around 600 kg of red sanders logs worth Rs 5 lakh were seized from a car in Jolarpet on Tuesday. Police officials have launched a manhunt for the suspect, Selvam, of Mandalavadi near Jolarpet.
A police official said, “The highway patrol team sighted the abandoned car during their routine rounds in Mandalavadi. They found the red sanders logs and alerted us. Around 27 logs were found inside the Tata Sumo car and they were seized. Forest officials estimated the worth of the logs as Rs 5 lakh.”
According to police the car had been parked in front of Selvam’s house in Mandalavadi. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the vehicle was being used by him for the past few weeks and had fake Karnataka registration numbers. The suspect is absconding and a search has been launched to arrest him.
Selvam was reportedly living alone in his house. No other details about him are known.
A case was registered in the Jolarpet police station and an inquiry is on.
“Smuggling of red sanders wood has increased to alarming levels in Vellore. Many middlemen are luring the poor and unemployed youth into smuggling for making easy money,” the official added.
In the last three months, many tonnes of red sanders have been seized in the district. With the arrest of many international players, a number of smuggling rackets have also been busted.