A combing party of the Red Sanders Task Force in the early hours of Monday seized as many as 27 logs of red sanders worth ₹40 lakh abandoned by smuggling operatives close by a rivulet in Bhimavaram valley of Seshachalam ranges, 25 km from Tirupati, while a batch of trespassers had fled into the forests.
Deputy SP (Task Force) Venkataiah told the media that a combing party with 30 personnel was on the field moving from Bhimavaram valley to Bhakarapeta ghat section on Sunday midnight. In the middle of the valley, they spotted the footprints and signs of camping on the wet sands of a rivulet.
Advancing further, the party sighted a large group of smuggling operatives carrying the logs and negotiating a slope. On seeing the party, the group abandoned the logs and fled for cover. Additional forces would be deployed to flush out the woodcutters from the hills, the official said. The seized logs were brought to the Task Force office at Tirupati and a case was registered.
