Hey there, folks! It’s Mubarak Ansari here with some breaking news out of Pune. The officers of the DRI Pune Regional Unit have just busted a syndicate trying to smuggle Red Sanders wood out of India. And you won’t believe how they did it – by disguising it as Granite marble slabs! Sneaky, right?
The officers were onto these smugglers thanks to some specific intel they received. They kept a close eye on the loading of the contraband in a container and eventually intercepted it at the Nhava Sheva port (JNPT) for export. When they cracked open the container, they found a whopping 6 tons of Red Sanders hidden behind those polished granite slabs and cement bricks.
Now, here’s the kicker – Red Sanders is a protected species under the CITES convention, so exporting it is a big no-no under the Customs Act, 1962. The total value of the Red Sanders they seized is a jaw-dropping Rs 7.9 Crores. Can you imagine how much trouble these smugglers are in now?
But the story doesn’t end there. The officers didn’t stop with just one bust. They followed up on some leads in Ahmednagar, Nashik, and Hyderabad. In Nashik, they found another 2 tons of Red Sanders stashed away in a godown, all set to be smuggled out soon. And get this – the 6 tons they seized at the port were also being stored in that same godown for export. Talk about a one-stop shop for illegal goods!
To top it all off, they managed to nab 5 members of the smuggling cartel, including the exporter, commission broker, godown manager, and transporter. These guys are now sitting in jail, awaiting their day in court. Looks like their shady business venture has come to a screeching halt.
Stay tuned for more updates on this wild smuggling operation. Who knows what other tricks these smugglers had up their sleeves? Until next time, this is Mubarak Ansari signing off. Stay safe out there, folks!
Thanks For Reading Report of Punepress.com