The Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) sleuths seized 44 red sanders logs and arrested two persons on smuggling charges on Friday. One of the accused was wanted in a murder case, the officials said.
Acting on a tip-off that round 40 woodcutters hailing from Javvadumalai forest region in Tamil Nadu had been putting up in Seshachalam forest beyond Srinivasa Mangapuram for a week, the sleuths led by sub-inspectors Lingadhar and Vasu started patrolling a few days ago.
Constable injured
In the early hours of Friday, the team found the woodcutters loading the precious logs onto an SUV. They attacked the sleuths and injured a constable. The police arrested two persons, while the others fled under the cover of darkness. The task force seized 44 red sanders logs and the vehicle.
Task Force in-charge P. Ravishankar said the accused have been identified as Prabhu (30) and Suresh (32). Prabhu was named an accused in a case pertaining to the murder of forest officials at Tirumala in 2014 and Suresh already served in jail for smuggling red sanders from the Bhakarapet area.
