The Chittoor Task Force Police launched flash raids at two places in Katiganahalli village in Bengaluru Rural limits in Karnataka on Thursday night and seized about two tonnes of high-grade red sanders logs worth around Rs. 4 crores in the international market.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Red Sanders Operations) Yelisala Ratna told The Hindu that a 20-member armed task force party led by senior cops rushed to Katiganahalli close to Thursday midnight. The raids continued till the early hours of Friday. “Since six months, we have been conducting awareness camps and cultural activities at Katiganahalli village, sensitising the youth involved in the smuggling activity to shun the trade. We also appealed to the misled youth to surrender and avoid arrests. But there is no response from them. Hence, we are forced to undertake special raids,” Ms Ratna said, adding the raids had not seen any resistance from the local people, and that the local police had cooperated well.
The ASP said that as of now no arrests had been made and that the operatives at the godowns fled on seeing the police personnel. “The accused will be arrested, and our men have already initiated the thorough investigation in this regard,” she said.
The official observed that Katiganahalli had become the hotbed of stocking red sanders logs procured from various places of Rayalaseema and south-eastern coastal Andhra Pradesh. During the last two years, the Chittoor Task Force police launched nearly half a dozen raids and seized about 20 tonnes of logs at Katiganahalli, arresting several smugglers, including a couple of Chinese nationals.
The latest seizure of red sanders dump would be brought to Chittoor, the ASP said.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Red Sanders Operations) Yelisala Ratna told The Hindu that a 20-member armed task force party led by senior cops rushed to Katiganahalli close to Thursday midnight. The raids continued till the early hours of Friday. “Since six months, we have been conducting awareness camps and cultural activities at Katiganahalli village, sensitising the youth involved in the smuggling activity to shun the trade. We also appealed to the misled youth to surrender and avoid arrests. But there is no response from them. Hence, we are forced to undertake special raids,” Ms Ratna said, adding the raids had not seen any resistance from the local people, and that the local police had cooperated well.
The ASP said that as of now no arrests had been made and that the operatives at the godowns fled on seeing the police personnel. “The accused will be arrested, and our men have already initiated the thorough investigation in this regard,” she said.
The official observed that Katiganahalli had become the hotbed of stocking red sanders logs procured from various places of Rayalaseema and south-eastern coastal Andhra Pradesh. During the last two years, the Chittoor Task Force police launched nearly half a dozen raids and seized about 20 tonnes of logs at Katiganahalli, arresting several smugglers, including a couple of Chinese nationals.
The latest seizure of red sanders dump would be brought to Chittoor, the ASP said.