PEDDAPALLI: The Ramagundam task force sleuths and Manthani police on Tuesday arrested teak wood smuggler Edla Srinu, alias Potharam Srinu, widely known as ‘Telangana Veerappan’. Police departments of three States - Telangana, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh - had been looking for Srinu for the past several days.
Police commissioner V Satyanarayana explained to media persons that Srinu had been smuggling wood for two decades. Four of Srinu’s companions were also arrested on Tuesday They have been identified as Kudedal Kishan of Manthani, Koraveni Madhukar, Ragam Srinivas Vilochanavaram and Edla Santhosh of Ladnapur.
Commissioner Satyanarayana said that Srinu had managed to avoid law enforcement agencies with his political influence and information network. It is learnt that Edla Srinu had established a fertiliser business in 1999. The business did not do well. Soon, he began transporting teak wood on his cycle. He gradually shut down his business and dove into teak wood smuggling. He formed a group and started smuggling wood from erstwhile Karimnagar, Adilabad, and Warangal districts, and also from Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh States.
The Commissioner said as many as 12 cases had been registered against him and nearly 50 persons are known to have cooperated with him in his operations. He used to sell the smuggled wood to at least 10 saw mills.