TIRUPATI: After chasing an Eicher vehicle from Mallamgunta for 35 km on Naidupeta-Chittoor highway on Saturday morning, the Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force seized it at Upparapalli checkpost and recovered 82 logs.Task Force RSI Ashok Kumar, along with his team, reached Yerpedu in three vehicles at 5 am on a tip-off that red sanders logs were being smuggled.
When they reached the spot, the Eicher was on its way to Chittoor and the Task Force intercepted it after a hot chase. Vehicle driver Shankar was taken in custody along with smuggler K Sivaji. According to Shankar and Sivaji, 80 members from Irumbali in Javvadi Mali hills, Polur Taluk, Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, reached Seshachalam forest four days ago, cut the red sanders trees and brought the logs to the loading point at Yerpedu after covering a distance of 30 km. Later, the logs were loaded into the vehicle. RSI Vijay Narasimhulu, FSO Nagaraju, FBO Johani Basha and others participated in the seizure.
Chinese national nabbed
Tirupati: In another breakthrough, the Tirupati Urban police on Saturday arrested inter-state smuggler Nagoor Meer, who has close contacts with international smugglers, along with a Chinese national Lin Vebne. Based on the information provided by the arrested in the recent raid on a godown in the SIDCO industrial estate in Tamil Nadu, the duo were nabbed and 1.447 tonnes of red sanders logs were seized. Urban SP Abhishek Mohanty said so far nine persons were arrested.