Regarding smuggling racket of red sanders

DIRECTORATE OF REVENUE INTELLIGENCE

KOLKATA ZONAL UNIT

8, HO CHI MINH SARANI, KOLKATA-700071

PRESS RELEASE

Based on a specific intelligence, the officers of DRI. Kolkata Zonal Unit intercepted two Containers on 27.08.09 at Haldia Dock reported to be carrying export consignments of M/s Linkers India, Sitarampur, Asansol consigned to M/s Ghulam Hamdan Sajwani Trading Est, Dubai, UAE and was about to be loaded in vessel named Noble. The commodity declared in the export documents was 'Ductile Iron Castings (Rough / Machined)'. Both the containers were found sealed with Central Excise Seals. On examination, the containers were found to be stuffed with Red coloured logs of wood of assorted size believed to be of Red Sanders wood. The combined total weight of the logs stuffed in the two containers was found to be 13580 kgs valued at Rs. 5432000/- which was seized under Customs Act, being a prohibited item for export under prevailing Foreign Trade Policy. Later on, one person named Jaffar Ali Khan, a resident of Chennai / Manipur was nabbed from a hotel at Kolkata and interrogated at length. On interrogation, he admitted that he carried the wood from Andhra Pradesh and gave delivery at a place near Dankuni (Hooghly, West Bengal). On preliminary investigation, it was found that Jaffar Ali Khan is one of the masterminds of running the smuggling racket of red sanders and in the past had facilitated in illegally exporting several consignments of red sanders to other countries. He was ultimately arrested on 29/08/2009 and was remanded in judicial custody till 11/09/09 by Ld. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. Kolkata. Further investigation is under progress.

Prohibited export seizure of red sanders: containers intercepted, goods seized under customs law and suspect arrested for smuggling. DRI Kolkata intercepted two export containers declared as ductile iron castings but found stuffed with logs believed to be Red Sanders, seized under the Customs Act as a prohibited export under the Foreign Trade Policy. An individual apprehended admitted transporting and delivering the wood, was identified as a mastermind of a smuggling racket, arrested and remanded, and further investigation into the export facilitation network is ongoing.