Notorious red sanders smuggler held in Andhra

Tanguturu, June 14 (IANS) Three persons, including one notorious red sanders smuggler, were arrested in Andhra Pradesh, police said on Monday.The kingpin Magunta Vishwanadha Reddy (42), along with his accomplices Sulakanti Uttham Kumar (48) and Vadde Maddayya (56), were nabbed by the Prakasam district police at Kulchuru village in Kurnool district.Police said that Reddy was involved in 32 red sanders smuggling cases."Vishwanadha Reddy was selling grade -- a red sanders logs -- in Delhi and other countries through a middleman named Nazir belonging to Kurnool," said a police official.Tanguturu town police officials have seized red sanders logs worth Rs 15 lakh, while the district police have seized 50 logs worth Rs 85 lakh.Prakasam police first sniffed on Reddy's activities while the Tanguturu police identified one Kandakunta Sivakumar from Kurnool district ferrying 46 red sanders logs worth Rs 75 lakh in a mini-truck in March."When the man was arrested and interrogated, it was learnt that the real mastermind behind this smuggling was Reddy who had been elusive from police for six years," he added.Later, police arrested him by deploying technical evidence and information gathered on him on Saturday at 4 p.m. from Uttam Kumar's metal shed located at industrial park - 3 in Kulchuru village.Police have also seized four A grade red sanders logs weighing 129 kg and a car from them.
--IANS sth/sdr/