Eighty four suspected red sander woodcutters from Tamil Nadu, who were arrested in Tirupati by Andhra Pradesh Police for allegedly entering into Seshachalam forests, were released by the Task Force offcials on Saturday.
The officials released them after completing formalities of the bindover and with a security bond of ₹10000, as directed by the Mandal Executive Magistrate, Renigunta.
The fingerprints of the woodcutters were collected through the Fingerprint Identification Network System (FINS) by the Task Force officials who urged them to refrain from such smuggling activities in the future and warned them that the punishment will be vigorous for second-time offenders.
Later, as a precautionary measure, they all were transported to Vellore and Tiruvannamalai by the buses arranged by the Tamil Nadu government, Sub-Inspector of Police, Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force, G. Ashok Kumar said.
The Andhra Pradesh Police on March 2 arrested 84 suspected red sander woodcutters hailing from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts when they were on their way to Seshachalam forest at Anjaneyapuram, 15 km from Tirupati.
On February 28, a PIL was filed in the Madras High Court alleging that over 500 suspected woodcutters from Tamil Nadu had been “illegally detained” by the Andhra Pradesh Police.
The PIL had requested the court to take an appropriate action against “erring officials” of that State.
(With inputs from PTI )
