The Tirupati police have seized a huge haul of Red Sanders logs and arrested a band of five smugglers hailing from Tamil Nadu on Monday. The seized logs, weighing 5,388 kg, are estimated to be worth ₹4.31 crore. Two cars were also seized from the possession of the accused.
Acting on a tip-off, a group of policemen lay in wait near Tada, on the Tamil Nadu border abutting NH 16, where the accused were nabbed. Murugan, hailing from Sholavaram in Chennai, was arrested by the cops.
It may be noted that he was a regular offender who had been to jail under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act. The other arrested are Hemanth Kumar of Pallavaram, Ravi of Mannivakkam, and Vimal and Surender, both from Sholavaram in Chennai.
“We are checking if the others also have PD Act booked against them in the past, under any other police limits,” said Mr. Parameshwara Reddy.
