Three held, red sanders worth ₹1.5 crore seized in Tirupati
The Red Sanders Anti-smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) arrested two inter-State red sanders smugglers and a forest beat officer (FBO) and seized 78 precious logs worth
The Red Sanders Anti-smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) arrested two inter-State red sanders smugglers and a forest beat officer (FBO) and seized 78 precious logs worth around ₹1.5 crore during a raid in Tirupati district on Saturday. The accused have been identified as Sunny and Ramesh from Rohtak in Haryana, while Mallikarjunudu was the FBO who allegedly helped them.
Acting on a tip-off, a team comprising the RSASTF and State Intelligence conducted vehicle checks near Jyothi Temple and Varikuntla village in Avadutha Kashinayan mandal of Kadapa district. During the operation, they apprehended Sunny and Ramesh who were smuggling red sanders logs in a container truck under the guise of transporting household goods.
Investigation revealed that the FBO working in Jyothi Forest Beat allegedly colluded with the people involved in red sanders smuggling. The probe also suggests involvement of the masterminds based in Bengaluru, Haryana, and Kolkata. Special teams have been formed to trace them. RSASTF head and Tirupati SP L.
Subbarayudu, RSASTF SP P. Srinivas and RSASTF Additional SP J. Kulashekhar lauded the special teams for their role in the seizure of the red sanders logs.
The BriefWire