A task force team comprising forest and police personnel opened fire at red sanders smugglers when they attacked them with stones and other lethal weapons in the foothills of Seshachalam forests in Chittoor District on Wednesday night.
On noticing footprints, the Task Force team conducted combing operations in the exit and entry routes to the foothills when they found the smugglers to be waiting in ambush. On seeing the Task Force personnel, they attacked with stones forcing them to open fire. The smugglers, however, managed to escape from the scene leaving behind red sanders logs and their bags and axes.
According to sources, the Task Force team recovered 39 logs worth Rs.60 lakh from the spot, which indicated that the smugglers could have been more than 50 in number. Search is on to apprehend the smugglers, the sources said.
This was the fifth attack on Task Force personnel by the smugglers in the last one month.
