Tirupati: Five held red sanders logs worth Rs 75L seized

Tirupati: Anantapur Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ravi Prakash informed that the Bhakarapet police along with Reserve Police and Task Force seized 43 red sanders logs (1,300 kg) worth Rs 75 lakh apart from vehicles and arrested five smugglers.

Disclosing the details to mediapersons at AR Parade Ground in Tirupati on Wednesday, DIG Ravi Prakash along with district SP P Parameswar Reddy said acting on a reliable tip-off, the Bhakarapet police on Wednesday raided and found 43 red sanders logs stashed at Amma Cheruvu of Gollapalli village under Chinnagottigallu mandal located under Bhakarapet police station. The logs were kept ready for illegal transportation to Bengaluru of Karnataka State. In this connection, five smugglers were arrested who were identified as auto driver Katthi Annamaiah (25), Mamidikona Suresh (31) who runs a Pani Puri pushcart, Derangula Vasu (30) working as a courier boy in a courier service, Kathi Yerraiah (65) and his son Kathi Sriramulu (45), both daily labourers.

All the arrested belonged to Gollapalli of Devarakonda panchayat in Chinnagottigallu mandal and they are relatives to one Kathi Nagaraju who took contract from interstate smugglers Vasim Khan and Nadim Khan of Hoskote of Bengaluru city in Karnataka State. Seven other smugglers including two interstate smugglers were on the run and a intense manhunt was launched for them. Explaining the illegal contract, the DIG said Nagaraju agreed for transporting the red sanders logs from the forest to Bengaluru after chopping them off and he hired his relatives and known persons from Chinnagottigallu mandal and other places for executing the work. The logs were subsequently stashed at Amma Cheruvu for transport.

In the raid, the police seized the logs, a car, an auto and two motorcycles. The DIG said the police were making all efforts to check red sanders smuggling. The DIG commended the team involved in the operation including Bhakarapet CI Thulasi Ram, SI GV Prakash, Chandragiri SI Vamsidhar, Armed Reserve Inspector Chandrasekhar, SI Pullanna and Tirupati District Task Force staff. West DSP Narsappa and Command Control DSP Kondaiah were present.