Forest dept seizes over 400kg sandalwood from Cauvery emporium
Bangalore City deputy conservator of forests N Ravindra Kumar confirmed that the inspection revealed numerous violations of state regulations governing sandalwood commerce.
Bengaluru: During a raid at the Cauvery emporium, the state forest department has recovered more than 400 kg of sandalwood that had been procured for business purposes under bonafide usage permission, an official familiar with the matter said.
Bangalore City deputy conservator of forests N Ravindra Kumar confirmed that the inspection revealed numerous violations of state regulations governing sandalwood commerce. “Acting on a tip-off, we conducted checks at Cauvery Emporium on Monday and found more than 400 kg of sandalwood that had been procured for business purposes under bonafide usage permission,” Raghu told HT.
The raid, led by KRPuram range forest officer V Raghu, was prompted by intelligence suggesting that private individuals were illegally stockpiling sandalwood, with ties to smuggling activities linked to Rajasthan.
Kumar said that the investigation has led to the registration of a case against Cauvery Emporium’s manager, Narayana Murthy, and a Rajasthan-based individual, Gaurav Saragoi (24), who has been implicated in the illegal trade. Saragoi, who had been granted permission to transport four kg of sandalwood in June 2024, was found to have misused this authorisation by transporting over 100 times that amount, the official said.
Raghu added, “We booked him under Section 87 of the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963. At present, sandalwood is being sold for ₹30,000 to ₹35,000 per kg, and the total value of the seized stock exceeds ₹1.5 crore. The investigation is ongoing.”
Under Karnataka’s forest regulations, individuals transporting sandalwood or its products weighing less than 4 kg are not required to obtain permission in advance. “Saragoi exploited this provision to transport 435 kg of sandalwood to Bengaluru over the past six months. In addition, he supplied 105 kg of sandalwood powder and 10kg of sandalwood oil without adequate documentation to prove their legality,” Kumar said.
“The forest department is now conducting a thorough investigation to uncover the full extent of the illegal trade. In addition, officials are considering actions that could include the revocation of Cauvery Emporium’s license to handle sandalwood and related products,” he added.
