Chennai: Rs 45 lakh worth of red sanders stolen from warehouse

CHENNAI: Red sanders worth Rs 45 lakh were stolen on Sunday from a container, which was seized and sealed by customs officials, and kept at a central warehousing corporation yard near Madhavaram suburban bus terminus.

According to the estimates of the warehousing corporation officials, about a tonne of red sanders logs have gone missing. The container was kept at a deserted corner of the yard. The officials said that it was part of a 40-tonne consignment which was seized in 2017 by the customs officials. The miscreants had booked the container declaring the consignment as automobile parts and tried to smuggle it to South-East Asia by ship.

The theft came to light when the yard manager on Sunday noticed the seal of the container have been tampered with and red sanders logs, weighing over a tonne, were missing. Based on his complaint, the Madhavaram police have registered a case and have launched a hunt for the suspects.

The investigation officials said that it’s not clear how the logs were smuggled overnight since it would require a container truck to transport them. They suspect that the logs were stolen over a period of time. Since there are no CCTV cameras in the locality, the police are yet to find any clue.

The customs officials, based on a tip, had intercepted the container and opened it before it was being loaded in a cargo ship. They had also seized the truck which was used to smuggle the goods.