In a major breakthrough, the Chittoor police on Thursday nabbed five notorious red sanders smugglers on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border (between Satyavedu and Uttukottai), and seized two SUVs, red sander logs worth over Rs. 25 lakh and Rs. 4 lakh in cash.
The Superintendent of Police (Chittoor), P.H.D. Ramakrishna disclosed the details to the media here. The nabbed are Riyaz Khan (40) from Katikahalli, Bangalore rural, Saravanan (43) of Perambudur, Chennai, Lakshman Naik (43) from Vellore in Tamil Nadu, Ramesh alias Oil Ramesh (34) of Iruvaram in Chittoor town, and Vijay Kumar (44) of New Balaji Colony in Chittoor town. The SP said the accused would be booked under the PD (Preventive Detention) Act.
During interrogation, it was found that Riyaz Khan was on the Most Waned List at several police stations in south India. Khan started his red sanders smuggling activity in 1999. He evolved a network with Delhi as the centre, procuring stocks from as many as 40 smugglers in Kadapa and Chittoor districts. Having supplied thousands of tonnes of the precious logs on the international market during the past one-and-a-half decades, Khan successfully evaded capture each time. The police found that Khan’s monthly income in recent years stood at over Rs. 15 crore.
Saravanan who commenced the contraband activity a decade ago, is involved in seven cases of red sanders smuggling. He could establish a vital link between the traders and smugglers connecting various important places all over India. Lakshman Naik carries as many as 17 criminal cases on him. The Chittoor-based smugglers Oil Ramesh and Vijay Kumar, are involved in 8 and 14 criminal cases in Chittoor and south India. Both were arrested for the third time.
The SP said that the arrests have galvanized the operation of the police against the red sanders smugglers. Based on the revelations of the nabbed, more arrests are likely in Chittoor and Kadapa districts.
