Apart from the overcrowded jails with the numerous arrests of hired labourers in red sanders smuggling cases, the district police are now facing another peculiar problem —acute shortage of handcuffs. Left with no other option, now the police are using twine ropes to tie the accused while taking the latter for court hearing.
During the last two years, police have apprehended more than 2,000 hired labourers from Tamil Nadu, who were engaged by the smugglers to fell red sanders trees and transport the logs to hideouts.
In majority of cases, the arrests were made at forest fringe villages of Piler and Chandragiri constituencies and at vital border check-posts at Yadamarri, Chittoor and Puttur. In recent months, police teams have been nabbing tens of accused in a single raid. There were occasions, when task force had nabbed over hundred of labourers in each case. Such arrests touched the peak after murder of two forest officials in Tirumala hills in recent months.
Risky affairWhile shifting the accused from foothills of Seshachalam hills or border check-posts to respective police stations, police find the job a Herculean one, with limited number of handcuffs. A senior police officer in Piler circle, where smuggling activity is rampant, said: “Each station would have about half a dozen handcuffs, which would be used in multiple cases. “The ratio between availability of handcuffs and requirement would be 1:10 or even more.”
Police admit that using of twine ropes to prevent escaping of the accused is not a good idea. “But, we have no other option,” they say. “While escorting the accused in buses to courts, we are forced to allow them to be free as they find use of ropes embarrassing. But we have to be equally vigilant as it is risky,” say one official.
