The Puttur sub-division police and Red Sanders Task Force personnel, in a joint operation, seized 2.5 tonnes of red sanders logs, worth ₹3 crore in the international market, at a forest location in KVB Puram mandal on Friday.
Two persons who were reportedly working for the smuggling network by supplying workforce from Tamil Nadu and transporting contraband across inter-State borders were arrested.
KVB Puram Sub-Inspector D. Gopi said that acting on a tip-off on the movement of red sanders operatives in the hilly terrain, special teams had rushed to the spot and seized a huge dump of red sanders logs. After preliminary inquiry, two local men Chembaiah and Chengaiah of a nearby hamlet were taken into custody on charges of assisting the smugglers’ network.
The police official said that the smuggling operatives had stored the logs in the hilly terrain surrounded by forests in KVB Puram mandal, close to the Puttur-Chennai highway.
“After creating a dump here, their activities were exposed while they were on an errand to shift a small consignment to Tamil Nadu. The hired woodcutters are known for their ability to carry heavy logs for several kilometers through inhospitable terrain,” Mr. Gopi said.
Deputy SPs (Task Force) K. Venkataiah, D. Muralidhar, V. Giridhar and senior officials inspected the dump at the forest location.
The seized dump, numbering 138 logs, and the nabbed duo were handed over to the Task Force personnel. A case has been registered.
