Hyderabad: In a new twist to red sanders smuggling case, the police has found that the accused smuggler Mukesh Badani was using transit permit, issued in the name of a red sanders farmer, of Vishakapatnam.
Badani, who was arrested by Kadapa police, claimed that he holds an official permit for red sanders sale. However, investigation by cops revealed that it is only a transit permit issued by forest department of Chittoor and cannot be used to procure, store or sell red sanders.
“The claims of accused Mukesh are false. He does not have any legal permission. Haryana forest department officials who visited the godown have certified that it is illegal and he had no permission to stock red sanders. The transit permit shown by the accused is in the name of one Venkat Prasad of Vishakapatnam who is a pattadar cultivator. Mukesh does not have permission to sell, alter or export it out of the country. His aides were caught procuring the red sanders logs from the smugglers,” Kadapa superintendent of police Navin Gulati told this newspaper.
Police said red sanders smugglers are misusing these kind of permits. Cops have now decided to write to forest officials to keep a tab on these permits.
