In a major catch, the Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF), along with the forest and police department officials, seized over 200 red sanders logs, weighing 4 tonnes estimated to cost around Rs. 4 crore, in three separate combing operations on Wednesday night.
According to RSASTF Deputy Superintendent of Police S.V. Sridhar Rao, in first incident at Narsingapuram check post near Chandragiri, the officials seized 32 red sanders logs from a mini truck and nabbed two Tamil Nadu-based smugglers -- Vinod Kumar and Annadurai (hailing from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts respectively). The truck driver Ramesh fled. The second incident was reported from the forests abutting Mamandur area, during which the officials faced a hostile bunch of operatives.