The Valmikipuram circle police of Annamayya district on Saturday arrested eight red sanders smuggling operatives from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts of Tamil Nadu at Guttapalem village bus shelter on the Kalikiri-Somala road and seized logs worth Rs.35 lakh, an SUV and a two-wheeler and some cash. They also seized some stones stored to attack the police.
Producing the accused and the seized material at a press meet at Valmikipuram, Superintendent of Police V. Harshavardhan Raju said that acting on a tip-off, a special party tried to stop an SUV and a two-wheeler moving suspiciously on the rural road. However, the accused threw stones at the police party in a bid to escape.
Five of the accused were in the age group of 19-24, and three in 40-50. Due to intensified surveillance, the operatives were looking for various options to carry out their smuggling activities through isolated rural roads and cross over to neighboring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
A case was registered at Kalikiri police station.
