By IANS
Thrissur (Kerala) : Sleuths from Kerala’s forest department have seized eight litres of illicit sandalwood oil and arrested three people here. The contraband is worth around Rs.500,000, according to officials.
The forest department personnel arrested the sandalwood peddlers from a vehicle late Wednesday in this district, around 80 km north of the state’s industrial hub Kochi.
“We intercepted the vehicle on the Thrissur-Palakkad road following a tip off,” said D. Ratheesh, a forest department range officer.
One of the arrested, Usman Panthodi, is a member of a local council (panchayat) in the neighbouring district of Malappuram.
In Kerala, law enforcement authorities are facing a tough challenge from the sandalwood mafia that is plundering the fragrant wood from the forest. The trade in sandalwood or its products is strictly regulated in India.