sandalwood smuggling

A journalist, Jaganmohan Reddy, was brutally stabbed to death during his morning walk in V Kota, Chittoor district. Assailants on bikes attacked him before fleeing. The incident has sparked protests, with journalists and local leaders demanding swift arrests. Police suspect involvement of a rowdy sheeter, possibly linked to Reddy's reports on smuggling activities.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Forest minister K Sudhakaran said 342 persons have been arrested recently in connection with sandalwood smuggling and the government was taking steps to deal with the menace in the Marayour forest in Idukki district.

A gang allegedly involved in sandalwood smuggling was busted by the forest officials of the Gir (east) forest division in Khambha taluka of Amreli district.

Police busted a sandalwood smuggling racket during a tenant verification drive near Welcome in northeast Delhi on Thursday. While checking their identity proof, a policeman spotted a suspicious-looking bag at the corner of the room and 1,340kg red sandalwood costing over Rs 1 crore was found stuffed in it.

An inter-state sandalwood smuggling gang was arrested by forest department personnel on Wednesday in Coimbatore.

Although the city recorded its 12th case of sandalwood smuggling this year, the police department have registered only three cases so far. Police officials said that residents do not come forward to register a complaint.

A 34-year-old tribal woman was shot dead allegedly by her nephew, an accused in a sandalwood smuggling case, at nearby Palapetty as he believed that she had tipped off the police about his illegal activities.

In a one of the biggest actions against sandalwood smuggling, forest department and police seized around 1000 kg of sandalwood worth of Rs 10 lakh from smugglers in Shivnagar area on Monday and arrested one accused.

Two women sandalwood smugglers have been arrested in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh.Police are suspecting a big smuggling racket, though as of now wood worth Rs 1 lakh has been seized.

A large cache of sandalwood which had cleared the Gujarat waters from Kandla port for Dubai was called back by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials on Monday.

The film "Pushpa 2: The Rise" highlights the lucrative yet illegal red sandalwood trade. This rare wood, native to India, is highly valued for its rich color and medicinal properties, fetching prices up to ₹2,00,000 per kilogram. Rampant smuggling, involving organized criminal networks, poses a significant threat to this precious resource despite conservation efforts and law enforcement interventions.

Increasing instances of airline staff smuggling red sandalwood out of the country have alarmed officials, who consider it a security threat.

A gang attacked a Forest Range Officer and a policeman and freed an accused in a sandalwood smuggling case at Marayoor near here today while he was being being taken for questioning.

Forest officials seized red sandalwood logs worth several lakhs stored in a poultry farm in Holalu village, about 5 km from Mandya, on Wednesday night.

In September, High Grounds police in Bengaluru arrested a gang of eight and seized more than 700kg of sandalwood, estimated to be worth at least Rs 3 crore.