10 tonnes of red sandalwood seized; 2 held
New Delhi: The Delhi Police, in coordination with the Andhra Pradesh Police, have seized ten tonnes of smuggled red sandalwood worth Rs 6 crore and arrested two interstate smugglers.
The Special Task Force (STF) of the Delhi Police acted on a tip-off from an anonymous source. The accused were identified as Irfan, son of Noor Mohammad, a resident of Toli Chowki in Hyderabad, and Amit Sampat Pawar, son of Sampat Karam Pawar, a resident of Sector 21, Thane, Navi Mumbai.
According to officials, the operation was launched following intelligence from the Andhra Pradesh Police regarding stolen red sandalwood logs being transported from Tirupati to Delhi. Acting on this input, a joint team comprising Delhi Police’s STF, Andhra Pradesh’s Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF), and the Intelligence Wing developed leads that led to the arrests on October 6. The contraband was recovered from a rented godown in Delhi.
The case originated in August 2025, when Tirupati Police registered an FIR over the theft of a large consignment of red sandalwood. Investigations revealed that the stolen logs had been moved north for illegal sale. The Andhra Pradesh Task Force then collaborated with Delhi Police to intercept the shipment and apprehend those involved.
Investigators found that the accused had procured the logs illegally in early August, concealing them in a truck from Andhra Pradesh to Delhi for onward smuggling. During interrogation, the duo admitted that the consignment was intended for China and other South Asian countries, where red sandalwood fetches a high price for its medicinal and ornamental value.
The Delhi STF team was led by Inspector Pramod Chauhan, while the RSASTF team included Inspector Khadar Basha. Police said Irfan had been arrested in 2023 in a similar case. The seized 9,500 kg of red sandalwood has been taken into custody, and further investigations are underway to trace the wider network.
