Interstate red sanders racket busted, logs worth Rs 1crore seized

Hyderabad: The sleuths of South Zone Task Force along with Panjagutta police on Thursdaybusted an interstate red sanders smuggling racket and nabbed four persons and seizedred sanders logsweighing about 2.5 tonsand a car,all worth around Rs 1 crore.

The arrested persons were identified as N Radha Krishna(40), K Chandra (34), N Chennaiah (25) and Ram Sevak Kumar M (32), while the king pin Shiva is absconding.

According to City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, Radha Krishna, a native of Anantapur, ventured into various businesses like real estate, mining, coconut and red gravel business but could not succeed. Due to financial crisis he selected red sandal smuggling.

To execute his plan, he met one Shiva, resident of Proddutur, and discussed his plan.

Shiva took time and arranged 2.5 tons of red sandal wood from 'Lankamalla Reserved Forest', Kadapafor a price of Rs 400 per kg. Radha Krishna collected the wood with the help of his associate K Chandra (driver).

Later, they shifted the wood by hidingit under the cover of vegetables and dumped it in a room of Ram Sevak Kumar, who is a security guard of Ravia Gardens, PeddaShapurinRangareddy district.

On credible information, police nabbed the accused while moving in a car with a fake number plate carrying red sandal wood samples to show the same to customers for sale and subsequently seized 2.5 tons of red sandal wood. The arrested accused and seized property were handed over to Panjagutta police for further investigation.