A red-sanders smuggler was shot dead in the forest tract of Railway Kodur in Kadapa district after a skirmish on Saturday.
According to reports, during a combing the forest area by armed policemen, a smugglers gang comprising 20 people challenged the police team at Vageti Kona. The gang reportedly tried to attack the policemen with boulders which prompted the police to retaliate by opening fire. One person died on the spot while the rest ran away.
The police and forest officials launched a joint operation to check the menace of redsanders smugglers in Seshachalam forest near Tirumala and Rajampet and Railway Kodur of Kadapa district.
Red sanders, a valuable timber in the international market is endemic to the place in the entire globe.
