3 from TN nabbed in MP, 15K kg red sanders seized

Rs 8 crore were seized from them, an official said on Sunday.

“The Forest Department’s Special Task Force had last month seized 15,500 kg of red sanders also known as ‘rakt chandan’, from the possession of two 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 the duo, one more accused was nabbed from Tiruvallur 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.