New Delhi, December 19: Two Bangkok-bound Indian women were apprehended by the CISF personnel at the Delhi airport on Tuesday for allegedly trying to smuggle banned Agarwood worth more than Rs 4 crore, officials said. The passengers were intercepted by the personnel around 1 pm at the terminal-III of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport when they were going through security checks before boarding an Air India flight. Mumbai DRI Arrests Man at Kolkata Airport for Smuggling High-End Limited Edition Watches Worth Rs 30 Crore (See Pics)

A total of 93 kgs of Agarwood chips were allegedly recovered from three trolley bags of the two women and they had no valid documents to carry the stuff, a senior Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officer said. The women were handed over to the Customs authorities and the consignment is estimated to be worth Rs 4.65 crore, the CISF officer said. Trade in Agarwood, used for making perfume, is banned as it is listed under the Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Major Wildlife Smuggling Attempt Foiled: Man With 12 Pythons Arrested at Chennai Airport (See Pics)

As per TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network and an NGO working globally on trade in wild animals, Agarwood is among the world's most commercially valuable plant species. "The species is exploited for its valuable aromatic heartwood, a source of agar oil also known as 'oudh/agaru', the most preferred raw materials in perfumery and traditional medicines. Agarwood has been overexploited throughout its range for its fragrant heartwood, threatening its population. It continues to be traded in significant quantities to and from India," it said on its website. --

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