CHENNAI: The woods are lovely, dark and deep, more so and captivating if they are red sanders! For, they provide access to glamour dolls of the silver screen. No wonder, the woods are lucrative indeed. More than a story of rags to riches, the lives of many a kingpin in this illegal trade shows that this has proved to be their route to reach out to celluloid beauties.
Even as the entire vein of the mafia network and its political patronage is yet to emerge fully, revelations trickling down about some of the dons now in custody are stunning as they have lived a life of luxury, reportedly under the very nose of the administration.
Now, the red sanders smuggling trail has taken the cops to the doorstep of Tollywood actor Neetu Agarwal and search is on for her in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. According to the Andhra Pradesh police, she is not merely the live-in partner of notorious red sanders smuggler Kondampalli Mastan Vali, but a comrade-in-arms in facilitating financial transactions. With Mastan Vali in custody and Neetu, 27, running for cover. It is believed more skeletons might tumble out of the tinsel world.
From selling lemons on the streets of Chagalamarri, Mastan Vali took a plunge into red sanders smuggling to eventually become a film producer in Tollywood. It was at this juncture that the twice-married Mastan Vali wooed Neetu by casting her as the female lead in his movie Prema Prayanam (Journey of Love). With that commenced their relationship and soon they started living together. There are also rumours that he married her sometime back.
For investigators, Mastan Vali’s diary and his phone call data have proved to be a veritable treasure trove. Apart from Neetu’s relationship, they found out she had been using her bank accounts for receiving and transferring money to locals to buy red sanders logs for shipment to China and Singapore. Allagadda Additional SP, Seshi Kumar, says they have enough clues to establish her relationship with Mastan Vali and evidence of transactions of huge sums through her bank account.
Mastan Vali did not stop smuggling after his entry into the film world, even donning the politician’s garb. At present he is Chagalmarri Mandal President, elected on Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress ticket in the local body polls in 2014. But he never gave up smuggling red sanders from Rayachoti, Vontimitta, Vanipenta in Kadapa and shipping them to China and Singapore. As money poured in, he began leading a life of luxury in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and other areas. He is believed to have bought a palatial flat for Neetu in Bengaluru. Though cops have arrested him in the past, he had managed to get bail each time. Cops are yet to get any leads about Neetu’s past except that she is from Mumbai.
Another ‘don’ in the spotlight is Laxman, now languishing behind bars in the Rajahmundry jail. Nicknamed as Junior Veerappan, after the dreaded sandalwood smuggler, Laxman was operating from a safe distance in Kolkata, where he had a live-in partner, a Bengali model, besides a host of starlets who were at his beck and call. Not surprising given that he used to wear shirts which cost nothing less than Rs 25,000 and move around in BMWs and Mercedes.
Hailing from a Burmese Tamil emigrant family which had moved to Moreh in Manipur along with 20,000 others, Laxman landed in Chennai as a coolie where he got roped into small-time red sanders smuggling. Learning the tricks of the trade, he set his sight higher and started to function independently. By 2013, he lorded over an “empire” with a gang of 40 and a battery of private security personnel. But luck ran out on him and he was traced by the AP police, who estimate his wealth at Rs 100 crore. He has been booked for 24 offences.
There has been a crackdown on smuggling of timber (believed to be an aphrodisiac by the Chinese) after 20 woodcutters from Tamil Nadu, suspected to be red sanders smugglers, were shot dead in the Tirupati forest range. But will this lift the veil from the big guns?
Kings of the woods
SELVARAJ: Worth Rs 100 crore, he has been smuggling red sanders for 15 years and is involved in 18 cases. Was in the habit of moving in a blue BMW with two more following him. When the Chittoor police tried to arrest him, he played a cat-and-mouse game for eight days. He was nabbed when he tried to escape in a burqa
KOLLAM GANGI REDDY: Absconding since May 2014. He is from Pullampet in Kadapa district. Wanted in 27 cases, he even has a red-corner notice against him. Was apprehended in Mauritius recently and efforts are on to get him back
RIYAZ: A native of Katiganahalli in Karnataka, he has been smuggling for 12 years. Used to receive logs from local smugglers and transport them to China. Termed as “very dangerous” by police, he’s worth Rs 50 crore and is involved in 24 cases. He is currently lodged in the Rajahmundry jail
VIKRAM: A red sanders smuggler for seven years, Vikram is settled in Rangoon.
He is the main receiver of red sander logs from Chennai and transports them to China via the Northeast. Said to have made over Rs 100 crore, he has godowns in Moreh, Kolkata and Myanmar. Involved in 20 cases. Has been arrested by the Chittoor police
NAGARAJAN: Eight years old in this business, he is the main supplier of red sanders logs to the Northeast. He is said to be worth nearly Rs 100 crore. His weakness for women and a life of luxury helped the cops nab him from a five-star hotel in Chennai. Involved in 14 cases
HAMID KHAN: Into the business for 15 years. Has assets worth Rs 100 crore. Originally from Katiganahalli, he had settled in Bangalore. Undercover cops joined him as workers to nab him. Involved in 10 cases and currently lodged in Rajahmundry prison
SAMUEL: Has made Rs 100 crore in his eight years in this trade. A native of Moreh in Manipur, he was apprehended at a hotel in Chennai
MOOSA OF CHENNAI:
A former Tamil Nadu cop, he was dismissed from service because of his illegal activities. He is a close friend of Shahul Hameed of Dubai and together, they run the illegal trade.
Has contacts in the Chennai local police and is also an adviser to many big smugglers. An accused in the Shanker Raman murder case, he often visits Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai to meet red sanders smugglers there.
Has been in the trade for 15 years and is the main receiver in Chennai. He then transports the material to China via Dubai. Estimated to have made over Rs 50 crore so far.
At present, he is out on bail.