TIRUPATI: Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force Sleuths (RSASTF) arrested 16 smugglers in two different operations near Mydukur and Tummalabailu of Kadapa and Annamayya districts, respectively, on Sunday.
According to the RSASTF officials, DIG Senthil Kumar directed the deployment of teams to search the forest regions near the CL Bhavi and Sanipaya base camps in an effort to curb the smuggling of valuable red sanders from the Seshachalam forests.
On Saturday night, two teams led by RIs Naresh and Suresh Kumar Reddy began combing operations in two different regions.
Naresh and his team, who spotted a group of smugglers near Jorugodla, surrounded them and arrested 14 smugglers at the spot and seized 17 red sanders logs, 2 luggage auto rickshaws and other materials from the possession of the smugglers.
Suresh Kumar, Lingadhar and his team, who started combing operations from the Sanipaya base camp, arrested two smugglers identified as Shivaraj (30) and Sivamani (45), both belonging to Tamil Nadu. The team seized six logs from the accused.
The total value of the logs seized by the task force was estimated to be worth approximately ₹40 lakhs.
