1,442 kg of red sanders stored in secret cellar

Police have uncovered Rs 1.15 crore of red sanders that was stocked in a tunnel cellar in a house on the eastern outskirts of Bengaluru.

When police raided the house of Syed Musa alias Mujib in Kattigenahalli near Hoskote following a tip-off, they had little idea what lay in store for them.

Musa, along with his sons Syed Tabrez and Syed Fairoz, was allegedly running the red sanders business for the past few years.

The family stored red sanders in a tunnel cellar next to the kitchen with entry through a small passage behind the refrigerator. It was hard to notice at first sight.

But a diligent visitor spotted the cellar and informed the jurisdictional Thirumalashetty Halli police. When the police came knocking on their door, the man and his sons were hiding in the cellar. Police busted the hideout and seized 1,442 kg of precious wood.

The suspects are said to have the police that red sanders sells for Rs 8,000 in the black market. They would procure it from Andhra Pradesh and sell it in other states and abroad.

Police have detained another person and are questioning him about his involvement in the racket.