Rs 12 Crore Red Sandalwood Seized From Palghar Farmhouse

Forest officials in Maharashtra's Palghar district seized a massive cache of red sandalwood worth nearly Rs 12 crore from an abandoned farmhouse on September 18, 2025, marking one of the largest such busts in the region in recent years. Acting on intelligence inputs, a team raided the premises in Sakhre village, Dahisar forest area, uncovering approximately 200 bundles of the contraband hidden within the structure.

Preliminary investigations indicate the illicit timber was smuggled from southern states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where red sandalwood trees are native and heavily exploited.

Red sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus), prized for its rich reddish hue and aromatic heartwood, is classified as an endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II and protected under India's Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Its illegal trade, driven by global demand in perfumes, dyes, and traditional medicine, fuels a black market estimated at Rs 500 crore annually in India alone.

Smugglers often target remote forest fringes for transit, exploiting porous borders and corrupt networks to export to markets in China, the Middle East, and Europe. This seizure underscores the escalating cat-and-mouse game between authorities and syndicates, with Maharashtra emerging as a key smuggling hub due to its proximity to Mumbai's ports.

The operation, led by the Palghar Forest Division under Deputy Conservator of Forests Prashant Bafna, involved a nocturnal raid to evade detection. No arrests were made on site, but a case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Indian Penal Code for smuggling and environmental violations.

Investigators suspect the consignment was destined for overseas shipment via Nhava Sheva port, with a pseudonym, "Pushpa"—possibly a local handler or syndicate code—surfacing in initial leads. "This haul disrupts a major supply chain, but the network is sophisticated," Bafna stated, emphasising the wood's estimated illicit value based on international black-market rates of Rs 5,000-7,000 per kg.

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In response, surveillance has intensified across Palghar's 5,000 square kilometres of forested terrain, including drone patrols and checkpoints. The state forest department, in coordination with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, plans forensic analysis of the timber to trace origins via DNA profiling. This incident follows a spate of seizures, including a Rs 50 crore bust in Gujarat last month, highlighting systemic challenges like understaffing and demand-side laxity.

Environmentalists hail the recovery as a win for biodiversity conservation, urging stricter export controls and community-led afforestation to curb poaching. The hunt for suspects continues, with rewards offered for tips leading to arrests.

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