1340 kg sandalwood seized, two smugglers nabbed

Two men were arrested for allegedly smuggling sandalwood in northeast Delhi's Welcome area, police said on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Nadeem Zafar (35) and Mohammad Basil (28) and 1,340 kilograms of sandalwood was recovered from their possession, they said.

During tenant verification drive near Samudayik Bhawan, police saw two men standing behind trucks with logs wrapped with plastic and after seeing the cops they tried to flee away, officials said.

Police unwrapped the packaging and found sandalwood inside.

They were carrying the sandalwood to Zafar's house and were waiting for a vehicle for transportation.

"The accused were transporting the sandalwood, weighing 1,340 kgs, from Chennai to Delhi and were planning to sell it in Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh. The Forest Department officers said that the recovered sandalwood can't be carried from one state to another without getting a transit permit from the department," said Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast).

Basil, who hails from Chennai, brought the logs in a tempo to the national capital. They were on their way to Zafar's house, who lives in Janta Colony in Welcome, police added.