The Andhra Pradesh task force in 2022 has seized 50 metric tonnes of red sandalwood logs worth Rs 50 crore and arrested 73 smugglers. The combing operations were reportedly held throughout the year in the Sheshachalam forest which covers Chittoor and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh.
The red sanders who were held were on the run since 2016, said a Times of India report. The Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force carried out nearly 1,400 operations during the years and arrested key smugglers. Overall, 281 woodcutters, masons and smugglers were arrested with 180 cases in 2021 and 106 cases in 2022 were booked by RSASTF police. Of the 281 arrested, 197 were from Andhra Pradesh, 70 belong to Tamil Nadu and five from Karnataka and 50 vehicles were seized.
Also read | Andhra Pradesh: Chittoor Police Seize Red Sandalwood Logs Worth Rs 1.2-Cr, Eight Smugglers Arrested
"We are shunting out the red sanders smugglers from the forests. Around 20 pending Non-Bailable Warrants were executed against the smugglers of Tamil Nadu. We have carried out 1,396 operations," said RSASTF Superintendent of Police K Chakravarthi, as quoted by ToI.
While stating there will be stringent ways to trace the smugglers, he said, "Usage of Isat phones CCTV cameras will be increased in red sanders core divisions having vulnerable entry and exit points. We will soon engage sniffer dog squad to hunt the smugglers. Due to Covid-19, the dog squad services were stopped. We will resume this in 2023." The RSASTF is also working to getting the smugglers convicted from the two newly-formed courts in smuggling and seizure cases, said the report.
Earlier in October, Chittoor police seized 122 red sandalwood logs worth Rs 1.2 crore and eight smugglers involved in smuggling were taken into custody. Besides logs, that weighed 2 tonnes, the police also seized and Eicher truck, two cars and a two-wheeler worth Rs 30 lakhs.