Forest dept raids Cauvery Emporium, seizes sandalwood, oil & dust

Bengaluru: The forest department Tuesday raided Cauvery Emporium — the commercial establishment of the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation — on MG Road and seized sandal oil, sandalwood and sandal dust.
Emporium manager Narayanmurthy, 56, and his acquaintance Gourav Saraongi were booked and prima facie, the establishment is staring at losing its permit. According to sources, the team seized 7.5kg sandal oil, 30-32kg sandalwood and 12kg sandal dust.
Officials said the manager and his acquaintance had misused permit exemption rules and illegally transported sandalwood products over a period of at least six months. The raid was ongoing even until late on Tuesday and an FIR is expected to be filed early Wednesday, following which a more detailed investigation into the case will be carried out. | TNN