Badvel police arrested a close aide of international red sanders smuggler Ramanatha Reddy and four others and seized 15 red sanders logs worth Rs. 8 lakh from them at the Telugu Ganga canal near Uppavaripalli in Gopavaram mandal on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Kappala Sriramulu, Karatala Lakshmaiah and Karatala Seetharamulu of Lakkavaripalle village and Vemula Avulaiah and Vemula Sudhakar of Uppavaripalle village.
Sriramulu was an accused in several cases of red sander smuggling registered by Police and Forest Departments, Mydukur DSP M.V. Ramakrishnaiah said.
He appealed people to alert police on illicit transport of red sanders and promised to reward the persons who shared information about red sander smugglers including those from Tamil Nadu.
