Meerut: Sandalwood worth Rs 20 cr seized from godown

Meerut, Jan 19: Sandalwood logs worth Rs 20 crore were recovered in a raid by a team of police and forest officials from a godown in the Kharkhauda area here, police said today.

Officials said that a case in this regard has been booked against a Delhi-based timber merchant who is, however, absconding. According to Kharkhauda police official Piyush Dixit, the raid was carried out yesterday on the godown situated on the Kharkhauda-Mohiuddinpur road following a tip-off. The raid yielded a massive haul of sandalwood logs, he said.

The watchman at the godown, Ajay Gupta, told police that the space was rented about six years back by one Suchit Singhal, a resident of Pitampura in Delhi, for storing timber.

The sandalwood seized from the godown is worth about Rs 20 crore, Dixit said, adding that the haul is still being tallied by officials. A case has been registered in this regard and a search is on for Singhal, he said, adding that Haryana police is also looking for the timber trader in connection with a similar case.

PTI