TIRUPATI: Red sanders smugglers who are exploring novel ways to transport logs from the Seshachalam forest, have now got the support of some Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) employees, who assist them in the discreet transportation of woodcutters from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh and vice versa by tricking local police.
Four TNSTC employees, including a bus driver, two conductors and a mechanic, were arrested for allegedly assisting the smugglers in the pickup and drop off of woodcutters at the instance of smugglers.
The arrested were identified as Ismail, Jayashankar, Govinda Swamy and Gunasekhar. It was found that the quartet colluded with red sanders smugglers Damodaran and Sekhar.
“The four TNSTC employees used to supply food, clothes, medicines and cutting material to woodcutters after taking additional money from the two smugglers, besides transporting them from Tamil Nadu to Tirupati,” Chandragiri CI Srinivasulu told TNIE.
The police arrested them in connection with the escape of 40 suspected woodcutters after alighting from a bus on seeing police at Pakalavaripalli checkpost on February 10.
Kingpins still at large
Kingpins of the gang and two smugglers who deployed woodcutters, are still at large. A manhunt has been launched to nab the smugglers