On Wednesday evening, authorities in Andhra Pradesh’s Annamayya district delivered a significant blow to the illegal red sanders trade, arresting nine individuals involved in smuggling. The operation led to the recovery of 12 precious red sanders logs, weighing a total of 344 kilograms, with an estimated market value of ₹35 lakhs.
District Superintendent of Police (SP) Dheeraj Kunubilli reported that a specialized police unit, acting on crucial intelligence, conducted a swift raid in a forest area near Machireddipalle in T. Sundupalle mandal. The suspects were caught red-handed, attempting to transport the logs to a nearby forest road where a vehicle awaited them. Personnel from the dedicated Red Sanders Task Force also participated in the successful interdiction. Despite the cover of darkness, the vigilant officers managed to apprehend all nine smugglers, who had attempted to escape.
The arrested individuals were identified as Bakiaraj Annamalai, Rajith Kumar Govindan, Saminathan G, Suresh Kumar Shiv Kumar, Duraisami R, Raja Mani, Parashanth Chandran, Raja Vijay Kumar, and Thirumalai Chinnayan. All nine reportedly hail from the northwestern regions of Tamil Nadu.
SP Kunubilli further emphasized that additional security forces have been deployed across the Seshachalam hills in the Rajampeta division to intensify efforts in eradicating such illicit smuggling activities.