The Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) officials on Thursday intercepted a private vehicle and seized red sanders logs. They took four persons in the vehicle into custody.
On a tip-off, task force in charge SP Ravishankar formed a team headed by DSP Allah Baksh who stopped the private vehicle on the first ghat road at Alipiri in the early hours and seized 13 logs of the precious wood.
The vehicle by then had managed to cross two toll gates – one on Papavinasanam road and the other at GNC in Tirumala.
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The arrested were identified as Murugesan Jayapal (25), Ramalingam Arunachalam (30), Bhupal Kandaswamy (27) and Perumal Velu (35) from Chitteri panchayat of Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu.
The preliminary inquiry revealed that the accused preferred the Tirumala route to take advantage of the Brahmotsavam crowds. It is also learnt that the accused had employed the same vehicle during their previous operations.