NELLORE: In a major breakthrough, Nellore police nabbed an interstate gang involved in red sanders smuggling after conducting a raid at Budhanam Toll Plaza on Nellore-Chennai highway in Chillakur mandal on Saturday. The police arrested 58 persons, including three smugglers and 55 woodcutters in the raid. About 45 red sanders logs meant to be exported to China from various stock points in Tamil Nadu were seized. One truck, 31 mobile phones, 24 axes and other equipment used for chopping red sander trees were also seized in the raid.
The three smugglers were identified as O Damu (59) from KVB Puram mandal in Chittoor district, R Palani (41) from Puducherry and K Subrahmanyam (55) from Vellore in Tamil Nadu.Disclosing the arrest of the interstate gang to mediapersons here on Sunday, Superintendent of Police Ch Vijaya Rao said Damu, who incurred heavy loss in oil tanker business, started working as a cleaner of a truck belonging to Subrahmanyam.He decided to earn easy money by indulging in red sanders smuggling. Damu and Subrahmanyam visited Puducherry and contacted P Velumalai to get woodcutters for axing red sanders trees.
Velumalai entrusted the task of recruiting woodcutters to Palani. Damu, Subrahmanyam and Palani, along with 55 woodcutters, reached Rapur forest via Chennai and Gudur on January 20. The gang started their return journey carrying trunks of the axed red sanders trees in a truck on January 22. Acting on a tip-off, police teams, led by Gudur rural Circle Inspector MP Srinivasa Reddy and Venkatagiri CI Naga Malleswara Rao, under the supervision of Gudur DSP B Raja Gopal Reddy, conducted vehicle checks at Budhanam to nab the red sanders smugglers. Though the smugglers and woodcutters tried to flee, the police teams apprehended them. A few constables suffered minor injuries when some woodcutters attacked them during the raid.