VELLORE: After evading arrest for more than three weeks, kingpin of a red sanders smuggling racket P Saravanan of Vellore surrendered before the chief judicial magistrate court in Kancheepuram on Thursday.
He was remanded to judicial custody and lodged in the Vellore prison. However, within 15 minutes after being lodged in the prison, he was shifted to Puzhal jail for administrative reasons.
The district police had launched a manhunt for Saravanan (31), a notorious red sanders smuggler of Ramasamy Street in Vasanthapuram, after they stumbled upon a huge haul of cash and jewels from his relative and folk artist Mohanambal’s (54) rented house recently.
The district police had constituted 10 special teams to track down Saravanan, his mother Nirmala and her sister Mohanambal and their relatives, who had disappeared. The teams fanned out to various districts in the state and neighbouring states to nab Saravanan. Meanwhile, police arrested Saravanan’s wife Devibala (22) on May 30 in Vellore and jailed for her involvement in red sander smuggling.
Amid these developments, Saravanan surrendered before a court here on Thursday. “We have collected sufficient evidence to prove that Saravanan and his relatives are involved in red sander smuggling. We have also interrogated a DMK functionary, Babu of Anaicut, for his involvement in the illegal activity,” said a police officer.