Mangalore, Aug 20: In one of its largest seizures, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has confiscated red sanders worth crores of rupees at New Mangalore Port on Wednesday.
Officials said the seizures were made from container that had 14 tonnes of red sanders which were cleared for export as soaps and detergents by Bercha Exim Pvt Ltd, a Bangalore-based firm. It was loaded into 'Tiger Mango' vessel which left for Dubai from Mangalore port.
When the vessel reached Colombo in Sri Lanka, officials of DRI learnt that they were duped with fake consignments and called back the vessel.
The exact of value of red sanders is yet to be ascertained, officials said. They are interrogating Samuel, managing director of Bercha Pvt Ltd for this shady business.
Also called red sandalwood or chandan in India, Red Sanders are only found in Kadapa and Chittoor, on the border of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The wood is valued historically in China and the species ( Pterocarpus santalinus ), listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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