TIRUPATI: Chittoor police have arrested three persons involved in illegal transportation of red sander logs worth ₹50 lakh, weighing 1,033 kg.
While nine logs weighing 253 kg were seized while checking vehicles at Veerapakanellore village along Chittoor-Puttur highway on Friday, 30 logs weighing 833 kg were seized earlier when a mini truck turned turtle on the highway at Mushitpalli in G.D. Nellore mandal on Tuesday.
Police have identified those arrested as M. Rajesh (27), native of Otteri in Chittoor district, D. Sukumar (35) and E. Hema Kumar (28), natives of Vellore district in Tamil Nadu.
DSP N. Sudhakar Reddy said acting on a tip-off, a police team led by rural CI K. Balaiah, SIs V. Suman and P. Dileep checked vehicles at Veerapakanellore when they intercepted a motorbike, followed by a four-wheeler. Upon checking the four-wheeler, police found nine red sanders logs. Following this, police arrested two persons who were in the car, apart from the bike rider.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to cutting down red sanders trees in Seshachalam forests and illegally transported them to Tamil Nadu via Vedurukuppam- G.D. Nellore route. They also admitted their involvement in transportation of 30 logs seized at Mushitpalli.
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