TAMIL NADU: Red sanders logs valued at over Rs. 40 lakh were seized by the Nellore police from three men transporting them in a van near the Budhanam toll plaza near Gudur on the Chennai-Kolkata highway on here the other day.
Producing the seized logs and the men before the media, Gudur Deputy Superintendent of Police B. Srinivas said two other men, one from Nellore and the other from Chennai, fled when the seizure of 72 logs.
Police seized Rs 2,000 in cash, four mobile phones, the van and a car that was leading the van, all valued at Rs 10.20 lakh, CISrinivasulu Reddy said.
The arrested men were identified as M. Srinivasulu (43) from Krishnampalli near Udayagiri, Sk. Kabir(30) from Nellore and Ch. Prasad(26) from Alipuram near Thotapalligudur.
The preliminary probe revealed that the contraband wood was logged in the Bhairavakona forest bordering Prakasam district and stored in a hideout before transport to Chennai for export to other countries.
