Red sanders task force seizes logs worth Rs 5 cr

Tirupati: The Red Sanders Anti‑Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) successfully carried out a high‑impact operation against illegal timber trade in Karnataka, arresting eight inter‑state smugglers and seizing red sanders logs worth around Rs 5 crore late on Sunday night.

The raid was conducted in the remote hilly areas of Hassan district, near Siddapur and Haratnahalli villages in Arsikere taluk, halting a major smuggling network linked to the Seshachalam reserve forest region.

The operation was led by SP and RSASTF head L Subba Rayudu, under the supervision of SP P Srinivas, and the direct command of additional SP J Kulashekar.

Acting on specific intelligence input, RSASTF teams coordinated with Karnataka state police and moved swiftly to a suspected godown. When the police arrived, the smugglers tried to flee into the surrounding hills, but eight of them were apprehended after a quick chase through the forested terrain.

During the interrogation, the arrested revealed the location of a concealed storage shed on a hilly farm, camouflaged as an ordinary agricultural store. Inside the hidden shed, police recovered 195 red sanders logs, weighing about 8 tonnes and already cut into smaller pieces for easier transport. Three vehicles used in the smuggling were also seized from the spot. The total market value of the confiscated logs is estimated at around Rs 5 crore.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the arrested persons are part of an inter‑state smuggling syndicate pushing red sanders toward export markets. The kingpins and some key associates managed to escape during the initial confrontation, and special RSASTF teams have since been deployed to track them down. The Task Force has been maintaining intensive patrols and surveillance in and around the Seshachalam reserve forest, resulting in multiple successful busts and preventive actions over the past year. SP Subba Rayudu said this bust reaffirms the state’s zero‑tolerance policy toward red sanders smuggling. He added that the government and the police will continue to strengthen monitoring, use advanced intelligence and deploy tougher measures to protect forest resources.