Use tech to catch ‘big fish’ in illegal cross-border trade: FM Sitharaman tells probe agencies

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched the fourth phase of ‘Operation Sesha’ to curb illegal trade of timber, especially red sanders, and asked customs authorities to use technology to nab ‘big fish’ in illegal cross-border trade.

Operation Sesha was first launched in 2015 to bust organised syndicates of smugglers of precious woods. Under this initiative, the directorate of revenue intelligence of Indian Customs works in collaboration with probe agencies of several other countries to curb illegal trade of timber. The name Sesha has been derived from Seshachalam forest in Andhra Pradesh, bordering Karnataka