Thoothukudi: Rs 6 crore worth red sanders in customs custody go missing

THOOTHUKUDI: Seized red sanders logs estimated to be worth Rs 6 crore and kept in customs custody in Thoothukudi is reportedly missing.

The missing consignment of red sanders said to weigh 15 tonnes, allegedly meant to be smuggled to Malaysia from Bengaluru through Thoothukudi port in 2013, was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths.

The seized consignment was kept in customs custody at a private Container Freight Station (CFS) that has been licensed to be the customs cargo service provider for custody of seized consignment.

As the case dealt by the Madurai special economic offences court was over and the court directed to put up the seized red sanders for auction, the Customs department officials opened the container at the private CFS only to find hay stacks, instead of the red sander logs.

Preliminary enquiry by the Customs officials here too revealed that the Customs department seal punched with the court case number at the lock was found tampered with and a fake number had been punched on it.

According to Customs department sources, the red sander woods must have been smuggled out from the freight station either with the knowledge of the owners of the CFS, or by the CFS employees unknown to the owners on a holiday. Customs department sleuths, however, registered a case against the private CFS and are investigating. “Clearing other custodial consignments kept in storage at the private CFS too have been shifted to another licensed customs cargo service provider,”said a customs official, who too added that they have written to the director general of Logistics to cancel the license of the private CFS.