Pushpa-type smuggling goes wrong, 2 held

Hyderabad: A pushpa-type had gone wrong by the red sanders smugglers leading to the arrest. The Rachakonda police cracked an inter-state red sanders smuggling racket operating from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana. The police arrested two persons at Moula Ali late on Thursday. Officials seized 1,500 kilos of red sandal wood logs worth Rs.60 lakh.

The arrested identified as Shaik Mohammed Rafi from Kadapa and M Basheer Ahmed from Sainikpuri, both banana traders and natives of Andhra Pradesh. The absconding person is Murthy from Kadapa district. The police said the suspects who transport bananas across the country, decided to smuggle red sanders for easy money.

They contacted Murthy, who sold them the sanders. They brought the load and hid it at Moula Ali in Malkajgiri. Following a tip-off, the police raided the place and nabbed them apart from seizing the red sanders.