8 woodcutters from TN arrested in Andhra Pradesh

Addressing a press conference here on Monday in Proddatur, Deputy Superintend of Police Srinivasa Rao said, a red sander smuggler of Tamil Nadu, Sheravanan brought eight wood cutters from Tamil Nadu and left them in Lankamala reserve forest to axe red sander trees. Sharavanan brought a vehicle to the forest area and wood cutters loaded the red sander logs into the vehicle. 

While the smuggler was transporting the logs to Bengalure, the tire of vehicle got punctured at Proddatur bypass road. The smuggler asked the wood cutters to unload the red sander logs from vehicle and conceal them in nearby buses. 

However, the police got a tip off that the wood cutters were waiting for vehicles with red sander logs. Police teams led by Urban CI SadaShivaiah and Rural CI Obulesu and I town SI K Chinna Peddaiah rushed to the spot. 

Seeing the police, the wood cutters hurled stones and axes but the police arrested them and seized 9 red sander logs, 6 mobile phones, and 8 axes from them from various places. However, the main accused Sharavanan escaped. A search was launched to apprehend him, the DSP said.