Student smuggling red sanders nabbed

The arrest came after a chase when the student, Ajith, tried to evade the special team that was inspecting vehicles before finally being caught after a hot pursuit. According to sources, a team from the red sanders wing of Andhra Pradesh forest department was conducting a vehicle check at Karakkampadi near Sesachalam on Sunday. 

Despite being flagged by the personnel, a car with two passengers refused to stop and instead tried to speed away from the spot. The officers chased the vehicle and managed to overtake it near the local RTO. The driver and passenger were identified as Ajith, and Yesu (45) of Hoskote in Karnataka. The officials also recovered 10 red sanders logs from the vehicle, said to be worth Rs 8 lakh. 

During initial questioning, Ajith claimed that he knew nothing about red sanders smuggling, as he was only acting as a driver to earn some extra money. According to him, a person named Prabhu, who hailed from Kaniyambadi in the outskirts of Vellore, who had approached him. He was asked to drive the car to Tirupathi and Kalahasti, Ajith said, and added that he had dropped two persons at Mangalam village near Tirupathi a week ago. He had come again as asked by Prabhu, the teenager claimed. 

Sources said Yesu, who is already a known offender to the authorities, revealed that he had come with Ajith to provide provisions to workers. These workers had been brought in to cut red sanders from the forest, and have been given refuge in local villages, Yesu reportedly informed the forest team. Ajith and Yesu were arrested and remanded, and reds sanders logs worth Rs 8 lakh were seized from the vehicle. The car was also confiscated by the officers there.