It was the fifth attempt in which the same vehicle was used for smuggling.
The special task force personnel of Andhra Pradesh police today caught four smugglers belonging to Tamil Nadu, who were smuggling out red sandalwood from Tirumala Hills to an undisclosed destination.
Thirteen precious red sandalwood logs were seized from their possession along with the vehicle at the Alipiri toll gate early morning today.
In what can be termed alarming, these smugglers were transporting the red sandalwood from Tirumala Hills which is a protected and sacred zone to an undisclosed location.
Ironically, it was the fifth attempt in which the same vehicle was used for smuggling. Each time on the earlier occasions, a different set of smugglers made four successful trips during the recent Brahmotsavams- the busiest period in Tirumala Hills- during which they were able to smuggle the red sandalwood logs. Cutting and transporting the precious red sandalwood trees are banned in Andhra Pradesh.
"Today around 3.30 am we got solid information that this smuggling activity is taking place and in particular vehicle, it is being transported. This vehicle was decked like tourists and devotees' vehicle. We intercepted this vehicle near the Alipiri toll gate and arrested these four smugglers along with 13 logs of precious sandalwood,'' informs Ravi Shankar, SP, Task Force to Zee Media.
The arrested smugglers are Murugesan Jaipal ( 25), Ramalingam Arunachalam ( 30 ), Bhupal Kandaswamy ( 27 ) and driver Perumal ( 35 ).
What baffled the task force personnel was the modus operandi of these smugglers who were able to smuggle out red sandalwood logs on four occasions during the recent Brahmotsavams. Every year Brahmotsavams are held during Navaratri and the pilgrims/devotees rush is maximum during this period.
"When we arrested these four people and did our preliminary investigation, we came to know that the same vehicle ( TN 07 AL 3903 ) was used for smuggling. On all the earlier four occasions they could smuggle out the red sandalwood without being detected but this time they were unlucky,'' adds Ravi Shankar, SP, Task Force.
Red sandalwood smuggling is a big menace for last many decades in Andhra Pradesh. This precious wood which is found richly in Chittoor district, including Tirumala and Tirupati is in huge demand, especially from other Asian countries.
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 "Andhra Pradesh: Four held for smuggling red sandalwood")
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