Telugu actress arrested in red sanders smuggling case

Hyderabad: Telugu actress Neetu Agarwal, who was on the run for the past few days after being booked in a red sanders smuggling case, was on Sunday arrested by Andhra Pradesh Police in the state's Kurnool district, police said.

The actress was sent in judicial custody. However, her police remand is likely to be sought, Kurnool Superintendent of Police A Ravi Krishna told PTI over phone.

The 27-year-old Tollywood actress has been named as accused number 10 in the red sanders smuggling case where 34 logs were seized in Kurnool about two months back.

"The actress has been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy under IPC and other relevant sections of Forest Act for conspiring with the smugglers of the precious wood," he said.

Read: Telugu actress Neetu Agarwal ‘routed’ money for red sanders smugglers

YSR Congress leader and Chagalamarri mandal president Kondampalli Mastan Vali was arrested on April 13 in connection with the case.

Neetu Agarwal, who worked in film 'Prema Prayanam' produced by Vali in 2013, transferred Rs 1.05 lakh from her bank account to the account of one red sanders smuggler Balu Naik, who has already been arrested in connection with the case registered at Rudravaram police station of Kurnool district, the SP said.

She transferred the money into Naik's account on the information given by Vali, who reportedly produced the film from the money he earned through red sanders smuggling.

Police suspect that she may have transferred money to accounts of smugglers earlier also, but in this specific case, police identified the transaction and the amount, he said adding that further probe was on with regard to different angles in the case.

Meanwhile, police sources said that when quizzed, Agarwal claimed that she had married to Mastan Vali and was allegedly subjected to domestic violence by him.

She reportedly told interrogators that she was deeply disturbed on account of Vali, who is involved in 20 criminal cases and booked under Preventive Detention (PD) Act.

Vali, earlier a lemon vendor, continued to smuggle red sanders after his release from prison and was again arrested. Reacting to a query on the alleged involvement of some political leaders in the red sanders smuggling, the SP said they were in the process of collecting evidence in this regard.