Siddapura police bust inter-State sandalwood smuggling racket

The Siddapura police busted an inter-State sandalwood smuggling racket and arrested four men in this connection.

Based on a tip off, a team of police personnel intercepted a goods vehicle, which was escorted by an SUV, at Someshwara Nagar.

Upon checking the vehicle, the police reportedly found 250 sandalwood pieces, weighing 750 kg. The sandalwood pieces were packed in sacks and hid under onion loads in order to conceal the fragrance.

The police seized the pieces, and the value of the seized items was estimated to be around ₹1.12 crore.

The police arrested Sheikh Abdul Khadar and Sheikh Sharukh who were escorting the goods vehicle driven by Parameshwar and Ram Bhoopal.

The accused are from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. They were working for a smuggler identified as Siraj. The receiver of the smuggled items was identified as Ravi.

The police have launched a probe.