Three smugglers held; 14 red sanders logs seized

Tirupati: Red Sanders Anti-smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) sleuths apprehended three smugglers and seized 14 red sanders logs, along with a car and a motorcycle in an operation near Bhakarapet.

The arrests came as part of a routine combing operation conducted by the task force team under the supervision of SP P Srinivas, following orders from Tirupati District SP L Subbarayudu.

During the operation, the task force teams, led by RSIs Viswanath and Lingadhar and coordinated by DSP G Balireddy, were patrolling the Bhakarapet area. Upon reaching Kotabayalu on Chinnagottigallu Road, the officers caught sight of the smugglers loading red sanders logs into a car.

The task force personnel surrounded the suspects and managed to arrest three individuals while two others fled the scene. Efforts to track down the escaped smugglers are underway.

The arrested smugglers, who are from the Chittoor district, were taken into custody along with the seized red sanders logs, car and motorcycle. They were later shifted to the Tirupati task force police station, where a case was registered and further investigation is in progress under the direction of CI Suresh Kumar.