Dolalghat (Kavre), April 18:

Police this morning seized seven tonnes of contraband red sandalwood which was about to be smuggled to China from Kathmandu via Araniko Highway.

Acting on a tip-off that the sandalwood was being ferried towards Tatopani, the police stopped the vehicle towing the container at Sanga Chowk of Simle VDC-5 at around

9 am. A search revealed the sandalwood was concealed under rice and beaten rice sacks loaded in the container of the vehicle (Na 2 Kha 9575), said Sindhupalchowk DSP Sahakul Bahadur Thapa. Some 287 logs of red sandalwood weighing 6,653 kg were seized, he added.

The police patrol team was deployed on the highway after the tip-off was received and the container was seized as suspicions arose because its number plate was found new, said police inspector Narayan baidya at the Barahbise police office. An eyewitness told the police that the vehicle’s number plate was changed from Na 2 Kha 3634 to Na 2 Kha 9575 on the banks of Sunkoshi river.

Police have taken the driver, 28-year-old Tilak Karki from Dhusan Tole of Sindhupalchowk’s Marming VDC-1, in custody. Karki said he undertook the job of transporting the red sandalwood from Sunkosi banks in Chehere to Tatopani after he was promised Rs 3,000 by Sonam Tamang, a customs agent. “I am embroiled in this case for a mere Rs 3,000,” he rued. He admitted that he also drives a carrier vehicle with number plate Na 2 Kha 548. “I agreed to transport the sandalwood after Tamang told me that it was simply timber,” Karki said. Karki managed to take the container to Sindhupalchowk’s Sanga Chowk after eluding the Dhulikhel-based public revenue investigation checkpost, Panchkhal area police office and the Dolalghat police post.

The container was intercepted by a group of 15 locals at Zero Kilo in Kavre district at 2:00 am yesterday and was released to leave for Dolalghat after a person seated in the container paid them Rs 1,50,000, said eyewitnesses.

The container was taken to the Sunkoshi river banks in Chehere after media persons from Kavre headed for the site.

The businessmen at Dolalghat are continuing to guard the highway since the last 10 days after rumours that a cache of red sandalwood was slated to come. According to businessmen, groups of smuggler youths receive a sum of Rs one lakh to Rs five lakhs for smuggling the red sandalwood to China.

CIAA asks govt to act on smuggling

KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday directed the government to promulgate an Act to prevent the smuggling of red sandalwood out of the country. The direction came following a meeting between officials of the CIAA, secretaries of the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Home, Finance and representatives of the Police Headquarters, Kathmandu Forest Office and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. — HNS