Chennai
Based on a tip-off, forest ranger Pandurangan and team raided a godown on Kamarajar Salai in Maraimalai Nagar on Saturday morning. Inside the warehouse, hidden under areca palm leaves, they found the red sanders logs.
Investigation revealed that the warehouse belongs to Pazhani of Ambattur, who had rented it to Sheik Ali of Manali for a rent of Rs 1.8 lakh. After preliminary inquiries, Forest officials said that Ali hired the premises on December 16 claiming to make areca stems for export.
The red sanders logs were seized and the warehouse was sealed, and a hunt was launched to nab both Pazhani and Sheik Ali, who absconded.
In the past one-year, red sanders were seized from warehouses in Maraimalai Nagar. Due to this, Forest officials are investigating if the smugglers were using Maraimalai Nagar to hide the logs before smuggling them to different places.
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