The Kadapa police have finally arrested the most wanted red sandalwood smuggler in the state who has finally been caught by the police. The notorious smuggler Naga Dastagiri Reddy on Sunday. The red sandalwood smuggling gang, which had been on the run from the police for the past one and a half years, has been arrested, said District SP Ashok Kumar.
The SP said that the red sandalwood logs were being transported to the national capital Delhi and were caught in the Lankamalla forest area after raids based on specific information. He explained that the investigation revealed that Dastagiri Reddy has two cases under the PD Act, 86 cases of red sandalwood smuggling and 32 cases of theft.
The Kadapa police said that they have arrested five other gang members along with him. The police seized 52 red sandalwood logs weighing one ton, two cars used for transportation and a bike from the accused. SP Ashok Kumar warned that action will be taken against anyone involved in smuggling red sandalwood.
There is a huge demand for red sandalwood found in the Seshachalam forests spread across Kadapa, Chittoor and Anantapur. The red sandalwood that grows naturally there is recognized as the rarest in the world. As a result, loggers are secretly entering the Seshachalam forests and cutting down trees.
Forest department staff are turning a blind eye and making money by crossing the borders through various routes. Due to this, thousands of trees are being cut down every year. Moreover, red sandalwood smuggling gangs are challenging forest officials and police. The gangs, which are doing everything possible for smuggling, are attacking the officials if they try to stop them.
The gangs do not hesitate to take their own lives at times. Such incidents are happening frequently. It is known that State Forest and Environment Minister and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan has also consulted the Karnataka government on this issue. Last month, a dumping center was discovered at Kalavapalli in Sundupalli mandal of Annamaya district.
After receiving information that red sandalwood logs were being transported, the police who reached there tried to catch them. Immediately, the smugglers and laborers attacked the police and fled. In this process, a person named Govindan from Tamil Nadu was caught and 26 red sandalwood logs worth Rs. 80 lakhs and deadly weapons were seized from him.