TIRUPATI: The sleuths of AP Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) on Friday seized 27 red sanders logs left away by the smugglers during a combing operation, conducted in the Seshachalam forest ranges near Srivari mettu trekking route that leads to Tirumala.
According to RSASTF IG Dr M. Kantha Rao, when a group of task force sleuths undertaken a combing operations in the Seshachalam ranges noticed a group of smugglers loading red sanders logs into a vehicle near the Srinivasa Mangapur-am forest area.When the task force sleuths reac-hed the spot to nab the smugglers, they noticed the sleuths and fled into the forest by abandoning the vehicle in which they were loading with logs.
The sleuths found 15 red sanders logs, concealed in the vehicle and by scattering around the vicinity they found another 12 logs. The vehicle along with 27 red sand-ers were shifted to the task force office later.
The IG said that, about 15 red sanders smugglers were hiding out in the Seshachalam forest area near Srivari mettu for the last few days and we are trying hard to bring them out of the forests and have intensified the combing operations in the region.
