The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) stopped an Afghan national at Indira Gandhi International Airport after personnel found 11 transparent jars containing sandalwood in the passenger’s hand baggage, officials said on Wednesday. The passenger was scheduled to travel to Kabul from Terminal 3 on Tuesday.
The jars were detected during baggage screening before departure. CISF handed the passenger and the material to Customs authorities, who will examine the contents and the circumstances in which they were being carried out of India. Officials have not disclosed the sandalwood’s weight or value, or said whether the passenger had any export documents.
Why the form of the sandalwood matters
India’s export policy treats different forms of sandalwood differently. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) prohibits export of sandalwood in certain raw forms, while other specified products have separate conditions or licensing requirements. Customs will therefore need to establish precisely what the jars contained before determining which export rule applies.
The discovery at the security checkpoint has led to a Customs investigation. No finding of an export violation or further action against the passenger has been reported so far.
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