A repeat offender, who started with committing theft of property and then took to red sanders smuggling, was booked under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act by the Tirupati Urban Police here on Monday.
Interacting with the media, Urban SP Gopinath Jatti said that 28-year-old Chintamakula Praveen alias Lakshmipathy, residing in the Giripuram area of Tirupati, was involved in a series of red sanders smuggling cases in Tirupati as well as other police station limits in Chittoor district.
“The accused initially worked as a cook, offering catering services to marriage parties. However, in order to maintain his lavish lifestyle, he formed a group with his friends and began looting houses on the outskirts of the city. About 11 cases were registered against him in the Tirupati Central Crime Station in 2011,” he added.
Referring to his links to red sanders smuggling, Mr. Jatti said that Praveen, when lodged in the Tirupati Sub Jail, developed relations with one of the most notorious red sanders smuggler Dodikalla Raghunatha Reddy. After their release, Praveen took to red sanders smuggling with his accomplices in a bid to make a fast buck.
In 2015, Praveen, along with his accomplices, was booked twice for transporting red sanders logs in Mangalampeta of Pulicherla mandal and Paccharlavaripalle of Yerravaripalem mandal. He was also jailed for smuggling nearly 100 red sanders logs in a modified oil tanker in the Kanchamvaripalle area of Somala mandal in Chittoor district.
Besides this, he also worked for Tiruchanur-based smuggler Srinivasulu Reddy by hijacking the already smuggled red sanders logs (from other operatives) and then selling them to the kingpins in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The Renigunta police apprehended Praveen along with seven of his accomplices during a vehicle check on the Renigunta – Kodur main road and recovered eight red sanders logs and seized a four-wheeler.
Praveen will be sent to Kadapa Central Jail.
