NELLORE: The Red Sanders Task Force team nabbed 29 interstate smugglers, including four most wanted accused, in Nellore on Wednesday. The task force team, along with the local police, seized 23 red sanders logs weighing 621 kg worth Rs 62,90,000. The four most wanted smugglers were identified as L Chandra (41), M Obulraja (45), A Boochi (42) and K Suresh (38).
“We conducted raids in the forest areas of Rapur, Anantasagar and Seetharampuram police station (PS) limits after receiving a tip-off from the Red Sanders Task Force team and the local police,” said Additional SP (Administration) P Parameswar Reddy, while addressing a press conference at Umeshchandra Conference Hall.
He said the police nabbed 10 smugglers and seized seven red sanders logs weighing 201 kg from areas under Rapur PS limits, nabbed 10 smugglers and seized 10 logs weighing 201 kg from areas under Anantasagar PS limits, while nine smugglers were nabbed and six red sanders logs weighing 219 kg were seized from areas in Seetharampuram PS limits. The police also seized one mini-truck, two cars, three bikes, 14 axes, 10 water cans, two saws and Rs 14,500 cash from the smugglers.
“One of the smugglers is from Kerala while 27 belong to Tamil Nadu and one is a native of Nellore. Mamidi Surya from Gundupalli village under Seetharampuram mandal had been helping the smugglers in illegally transporting the red sanders logs to other States from the forest areas,” he added.
As many as 72 cases of smuggling have been filed against 29 smugglers while the police have taken 1,311 interstate and international smugglers into custody, Reddy said and disclosed that eight of the 29 smugglers have been booked under the PD Act.