JOIN USThe Bengaluru Airport Customs at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) arrested four people, three of them Chinese nationals, for smuggling sandalwood. The arrests were made in two separate cases within a span of 10 days, a senior customs official said.
According to officials, three men, including two Chinese nationals were arrested on May 12 for smuggling 65 kg of wooden logs and 11.5 kg of machine cut pieces of sandalwood concealed in suitcases. The three were travelling to Hong Kong, the officer said.
The arrested are Sarfaraz Navaz (26), a resident of Channapatna, He Jianqiou (42) and Chen Jingyan (32) both Chinese nationals. The total weight of sandalwood seized from them was 76.5 kg worth Rs 9 lakh, an official said.
In another case on Tuesday, a 28-year-old Chinese national identified as Zhang Yuanlu was arrested when he was travelling to Hong Kong via Bangkok. The officials seized 21 kg of sandalwood worth Rs 2.52 lakh from him.
“In both the cases, Chinese nationals were involved and their destination was Hong Kong. Their mode of concealment was also the same in two cases, where they used suitcases,” Harsha Vardhan Umre, Joint Commissioner Customs, told DH.
The customs officials at the airport have been working to bust the racket of smuggling sandalwood out of the country which is a prohibited item, he added.