KADAPA: Despite massive combing operations and checking of vehicles to curb the red sanders smuggling, the felling of trees in the forest for the precious wood is continuing. Seven red sanders logs were seized and 15 workers of Tamil Nadu were arrested by the police in a raid. Disclosing this to the media here on Wednesday, DSP Masum Basha said that on a tip off the police teams led by Sub-Inspectors Raja Rajeswara Reddy, Kullayappa and Satyanarayana, conducted checking of vehicles at Vinayaka circle in the city. The police noticed a mini-bus coming to the city from Alamkhanpalle.
On suspicion, the team tried to stop it. But the bus driver drove the vehicle recklessly and even tried to mow down the police personnel. However, the police escaped safely. In the melee, the bus driver lost control and the bus came to a halt on the road margin. The police personnel rounded up the bus.
The driver and other woodcutters travelling in the bus, on seeing the police, threw stones and tried to attack them with axes. The police foiled their bid and arrested 15 woodcutters. However, one person managed to escape. The police seized seven red sanders logs, eight mobile phones, nine axes and `30,000 cash from them.
The total value of the seizure is said to be `15 lakh. The arrested told the police that they cut down the red sander trees in Lankamalla forest at Chennuru and were transporting the logs to Kattigenahalli in Karnataka, where red sanders smuggler Fayaz and his brothers would smuggle the precious wood to other countries. The DSP appreciated the police team which nabbed the red sanders smugglers.