NEW DELHI: Sleuths of the Chittoor East Division of the forest department seized 36 red sanders logs along with a goods carrier near Mangalampeta village on Sunday. The driver fled the spot when the guards intercepted the logs-laden vehicle in the thick of forest on the Naravaripalle-Bhimavaram route. Interestingly, the vehicle had two number plates, bearing the numbers TN09 BC 1872 and AP 03U 7556.
The value of the seized logs is estimated at Rs. 50 lakh. Senior officials suspect the vehicle, having taken a circuitous route, was on its way to Katikanahalli in Bengaluru Rural, considered a haven for red sanders smugglers.