PNS|Kadapa
Red sanders smugglers have resorted to a daring new method of transportation in the district, resulting in the arrest of 10 individuals by the police. The smugglers were caught red-handed as they prepared to transport red sander logs in an ambulance.
Led by RI Chiranjeevi and RSI Raghavendra, a police team conducted a combing operation in Balapalli, a forested region known for such illegal activities.
During the operation, the police team spotted an ambulance hidden in the forest area. Upon further inspection, they discovered that the ambulance was loaded with red sanders logs, intended for transportation to Tamil Nadu.
All 10 red sanders wood cutters and smugglers present at the scene were apprehended, and the seized red sander logs were confiscated. Startlingly, the arrested smugglers revealed their modus operandi: they used ambulances to transport the logs to Bangalore via Anantapur and Gutti, disguising themselves as medical patients to evade suspicion during police checks.
One such attempt involved an individual named Mahesh posing as a patient in the ambulance when the police stopped the vehicle. However, their clever scheme was eventually foiled.
The total value of the seized red sanders logs and the ambulance amounted to Rs 20 lakh. The police are now actively searching for four more red sander smugglers, including the mastermind behind the operation, who managed to evade capture.
