Jaipur, Feb 7 (IANS) Six people, including a Chinese and two Nepalese nationals, were arrested here for planning to smuggle 9,000 kg of rare red sandalwood to China via Nepal, police said.

About 9,000 kg of red sandalwood was recovered from a house here. It was to be smuggled to China via Nepal, police added.

Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Giriraj Meena told IANS: "The Chinese man, Haixin Dai, hails from Fujian area in China. He had come to Jaipur to buy the sandalwood."

"Others who were arrested include Pramod Mittal belonging to Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, two Nepalese - Bahadur and Vogel Noghe - and two Jaipur residents Rajesh Kumar and Vishnu Kumar," Meena said.

The officer added that Mittal had smuggled the consignment from Andhra Pradesh to Jaipur and stored it in a rented godown in the city with help of Rajesh and Vishnu.

"It has come up during preliminary investigation that the sandalwood was to be first taken to Nepal from where it was to be smuggled to China. It is in huge demand in China and used in medicines, handicraft items and furniture," said the officer.

The police have booked the six men under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Indian Forest Act.