Forest officials on Saturday arrested a scribe, identified as Gopi Reddy, and seized ten red sanders logs and a two-wheeler worth about ₹3 lakh from a flower garden belonging to him at A.M. Puram village in Satyavedu mandal.
Forest Range Officer J. Prasada Rao said that the seized red sanders logs were felled from a plantation of the forest department.
The police said the accused, along with an associate Ravindranath Reddy, had allegedly resorted to cutting the trees in the department plantation and dump them in the private land, disposing of the stocks later to the smuggling operatives at an opportune time.
Acting on a tip-off, surveillance was mounted in the area, leading to the seizure and arrest of the scribe. Ravindranath Reddy was absconding, the FRO said. A case was registered and the accused was sent to remand.
