TIRUPATI: Red Sander smugglers allegedly killed an Armed Reserve constable, by mowing him down with their vehicle, when he tried to stop them. The incident took place at Gundravaripalli cross in KV Palle mandal of Annamayya district in the early hours of Tuesday. The deceased Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) AR constable was identified as Ganesh (30).
According to RSASTF SP P Srinivas, a team led by RSI Viswanath conducted vehicle-check at KV Palle-Sundupalle forest. Around 3 am, the team tried to stop a speeding car carrying red sanders logs. However, the car swerved to the right to escape and hit Ganesh, injuring him critically. The constable was rushed to Pileru government hospital, where he died. The task force personnel managed to apprehend two smugglers hailing from Tamil Nadu, however, the third individual evaded capture.
Subsequently, the task force seized the vehicle and seven red sanders logs valued at approximately Rs 40 lakh.
Ganesh, was a 2013 batch AR constable and was recently deputed to RSASTF. A native of Sathya Sai district, Ganesh was survived by wife Anusha and two children—Raj Kishore (6) and Vedansh (3). Ganesh had recently earned appreciation for his work during the Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed his condolences and announced an ex-gratia of `30 lakh for Ganesh’s family, sources said.