Man arrested, 20 red sanders logs seized

Tirupati: The Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) intercepted two vehicles and seized 20 logs of the precious wood near Anjaneyapuram on the Karakambadi–Mamandur stretch on Tuesday morning. In the incident, one accused has been taken into custody, while another managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

According to officials, the operation was part of a late-night vehicle checking drive launched on Monday. The exercise was led by Task Force chief L Subba Rayudu and superintendent of police P Srinivas, with DSP Srinivasa Reddy supervising the teams on the ground.

Around dawn, Task Force personnel flagged down two speeding cars suspected to be ferrying the contraband. While one driver evaded capture, another was caught red-handed. A detailed search of the cars revealed red sanders logs carefully hidden inside.

The arrested individual, hailing from Karnataka, is now being interrogated for further leads. Both the vehicles and the seized logs were shifted to the Tirupati Task Force police station. A case has been registered, and the hunt is on for others linked to the smuggling racket.

Officials said the crackdown was carried out by a team headed by RSI C Vinod Kumar and RI Sai Giridhar. The Task Force has intensified its vigilance in the forest fringes of Tirupati district, which continue to remain a hotspot for red sanders smuggling.