TIRUPATI: A smuggler-turned-actor-cum-movie financier, who was allegedly involved in 13 red sanders smuggling cases, was arrested by Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) sleuths at Alipiri here on Tuesday.
The accused was identified as Yellampalli Hari Babu (30), a resident of Scavengers Colony in Tirupati. According to Task Force CI Ramisetty Madhubabu, Haribabu was arrested on the charge of smuggling red sanders logs, in a criminal case number 63/17, registered at Task Force Station in November 2017.
Acting on a tip-off, the teams rushed to Alipiri on Tuesday morning and nabbed him. Haribabu was produced before the court and sent for remand, the CI said.
It may be recalled that Express published a report on Haribabu investing his ill-gotten money in films, in these columns. According to police sources, Haribabu previously worked as a mesthri in Municipal Corporation of Tirupati, where he got a job in 2010 after his father’s demise. He was terminated in the year 2013 on the charge of misbehaviour. Haribabu was addicted to liquor and was unable to repay his father’s debts.
To meet his needs, he used to commit petty crimes along with his friends and was jailed for four months on the charge of chain snatching. Later, he joined a local red sanders smuggling gang and worked as a courier in transporting logs to Bengaluru and Chennai. Meanwhile, he got introduced to smuggling kingpin Akram and started his own gang in Tirupati.
Since then, Haribabu started smuggling red sanders and earned huge money. Putting a break to his rise, Alipiri police arrested him in the year 2014, while he was transporting red sanders logs. Later, about 12 cases were registered against him at various police stations and he was arrested six times. Haribabu used to pose as police and loot red sanders-laden vehicles and godowns.
Antecedents of accused
Haribabu used to commit petty crimes along with his friends and was jailed for four months in charge of chain snatching. Later, he joined a local red sanders smuggling gang and worked as a courier in transporting logs to Bengaluru and Chennai.
Acting stint
During the course of time, Haribabu also acted in a comedy show of popular Telugu channel and in a few films as a character artiste. He also invested money in a few Telugu films as a financier.