Arrest of forest staff in red sanders’ smuggling creates flutter
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CHITTOOR
The arrest of four forest department personnel, including a driver, two beat officers and an outsourcing worker, by the Valmikipuram police on Saturday, on charges of conniving with red sanders smuggling network has created a flutter in the police and forest department circles.
Circle Inspector Nagarjuna Reddy said that during the last couple of months, surveillance on the movement of red sanders operatives was intensified along the transit routes from the Seshachalam Hills.
On arrest of a notorious Tirupati-based operative, who was earlier arrested under the PD (Preventive Detection) Act, it was revealed that he entered into a deal with the driver of the forest department working in Tirupati. The driver, in turn, reportedly formed a network with three other forest personnel working at a forest check-post in KV Palle mandal. Their modus operandi was to facilitate free movement of vehicles carrying red sanders logs through the check-post and allegedly collect hefty bribes.
The smuggling operatives too reportedly preferred the route to transport the logs to temporary dumps. The Valmikipuram police sent the four accused for remand, and took up further investigation.
Divisional Forest Officer (Chittoor East) G.G. Narentheran said that three of the arrested forest personnel were attached to the check post Nutanakalva in K.V. Palle mandal between Rajampeta and Tirupati forest divisions.
Earlier, in March this year, the Kadapa police arrested a forest protection watcher for involvement in red sanders smuggling in Pullampeta mandal. In June, 2015, seven forest personnel, including six base camp staff and an assistant beat officer, were held on charges of assisting the red sanders network near Ontimitta in Kadapa district.
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