Red Sanders Smuggling Gang Busted, 500 kg Wood Seized

The Commissioner's Task Force, South Zone Team, along with the Kanchanbagh police and with the co-ordination of forest department today apprehended an inter-state Red Sanders smuggling gang.

They arrested four persons, and seized Red Sanders logs weighing 500 kg from them, worth around Rs 75 lakh.

Shaik Abdullah, 42, in the real estate business and a native of Proddutur, Kadapa district; Mujahiddin, 41, in the canal construction work, 44, and also a native of Proddutur; Inayath Khan, 44, a realtor of Kalwakurthy, Nagar Kurnool district; and Abdul Khader, 42, also a realtor of Kalwakurthy; were arrested.

Another accused person, Ravi Chandra of Kadapa, is absconding.

The principal accused Shaik Abdullah of Dastagiripet, Proddutur, was in the ice cream business at Proddutur earlier. He entered the real estate business in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana later. Due to financial crises in his business, he hatched a plan to procure and sell Red Sanders wood illegally to earn quick money.

He contacted one Ravi Chandra of Maidukur, a former Red Sanders smuggler, and had him arrange wood for sale to him. Ravi Chandra used to collect the wood from the Lankamalla reseved forest in Kadapa and smuggle it to other States.

Subsequently, Abdullah contacted Mujahiddin of Proddutur and informed him about the material, and requested him for place for storage in return for a good commission. Mujahiddin took up the offer, and shifted the material to Kalwakurthy and dumped it in his open plot for disposal. Later, Mujahiddin deputed Inayath Khan of Kalwakurthy to take care of the wood, and also to search for suitable customers in the market for disposal. Inayath Ali contacted his friend Abdul Khader of Kalwakurthy and requested his help for the disposal of the wood at a suitable rate.

On a tip-off that the gang members had come to Hyderabad to show the samples of the Red Sanders wood to customers near the Midhani bus depot, Kanchanbagh, the Commissioner's Task Force, South Zone Team, along with the Kanchanbagh police and in co-ordination with the forest department officers apprehended all the accused and seized the Red Sanders logs.

The accused and the seized property were handed over to the SHO, Kanchanbagh PS, for further investigation.