Red sander logs worth Rs 3.5 cr seized
SP Satish Kumar showing the red sander logs seized in a lorry at Kaza Toll Plaza at Mangalagiri Rural Police Station in Guntur on Friday
Guntur: The Guntur district police arrested two people on Friday and seized 49 red sander logs weighing a total of 1,201 kilograms worth Rs 3.5 crore, which were packaged in paper bundles at the Kaza Toll Plaza in Mangalagiri.
According to Guntur district Superintendent of Police Satish Kumar, the Mangalgiri Rural Circle Inspector Srinivasa Rao and Sub-Inspector Venkat became suspicious during a routine vehicle inspection.
When they began checking the lorry, the driver and cleaner fled the scene. Following a thorough search, Inspector Rao, Sub-Inspector Venkat, and their team discovered the 49 red sander logs concealed in the paper bundles.
Police later arrested the lorry driver, Sarati Kannan, and the cleaner, Praveen, both of whom are from Tamil Nadu.
The logs had been loaded onto a large lorry on the outskirts of Chennai, and the plan was to transport them via Kolkata and Guwahati for eventual export to China.
The police have filed a case under the Forest Protection Act, the Red Sander Smuggling Act, and for theft of government property. The investigation is ongoing, and the accused will be presented before a magistrate shortly.