Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai (SR)
Mumbai, Oct 10: Two Sudanese nationals were arrested on Tuesday by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, while trying to smuggle 25kg of sandalwood chips.
The sandalwood was found tucked inside the luggage of the two passengers when CISF was conducting random checking of passengers based on their profiling. The smugglers were scheduled to board an Ethiopian Airways flight ET-641 to Adis Ababa.
As reported in TOI, an official told the publication that "the two Sudanese nationals were stopped for a security check at the Mumbai airport's Gate number 6 at Terminal 2. When their luggage was checked, the CISF personnel found around 25 kg of sandalwood chips kept inside. Since the last one month, the CISF has foiled at least four attempts of smuggling of the sandalwood by Sudanese nationals,'' he added.
Off-late Sandalwood smuggling has become rampant and in last one month CISF have seized at least 129 kg of sandalwood, worth around Rs 15 lakh, at the city airport and arrested five persons. The Mumbai crime branch seized 1.40 tonnes of sandalwood worth Rs 8 crore in a raid at a godown located in the western suburbs.