Indian Police seize 37 tonnes of red sanders logs in 2016

[Hindustani78]

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/613288/3-chinese-among-4-held.html
DH News Service, Bengaluru, May 24 2017, 0:53 IST

The Bengaluru Airport Customs at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) arrested four people, three of them Chinese nationals, for smuggling sandalwood. The arrests were made in two separate cases within a span of 10 days, a senior customs official said.

According to officials, three men, including two Chinese nationals were arrested on May 12 for smuggling 65 kg of wooden logs and 11.5 kg of machine cut pieces of sandalwood concealed in suitcases. The three were travelling to Hong Kong, the officer said.

The arrested are Sarfaraz Navaz (26), a resident of Channapatna, He Jianqiou (42) and Chen Jingyan (32) both Chinese nationals. The total weight of sandalwood seized from them was 76.5 kg worth Rs 9 lakh, an official said.

In another case on Tuesday, a 28-year-old Chinese national identified as Zhang Yuanlu was arrested when he was travelling to Hong Kong via Bangkok. The officials seized 21 kg of sandalwood worth Rs 2.52 lakh from him.

“In both the cases, Chinese nationals were involved and their destination was Hong Kong. Their mode of concealment was also the same in two cases, where they used suitcases,” Harsha Vardhan Umre, Joint Commissioner Customs, told DH.

The customs officials at the airport have been working to bust the racket of smuggling sandalwood out of the country which is a prohibited item, he added.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...-nabbed-after-hot-pursuit/article19206450.ece

Four high-quality logs and an SUV seized; he reportedly smuggled over 1,000 tonne of logs

A police team, led by CI (East Rural) S. Chandrasekhar, on Monday nabbed Hazi Nazir alias Nazirulla Khan (48) of Old Pension Mohalla locality of Bengaluru, one of the most wanted red sanders smuggling accused, at Penumuru Cross on the outskirts of Chittoor in the early hours of Monday and seized four high-quality logs and an SUV.

The police said Hazi Nazir had been operating as an exporter and smuggler in the banned trade since 2014. As per preliminary investigation, he had smuggled out over 1,000 tonnes of red sanders logs, worth over ₹ 2,000 crore in the international market, to various countries, mostly the Gulf and South East Asia. A school dropout, he grew to the level of a busy realtor in Karnataka. Establishing links with red sanders smuggling operatives in various places of Tamil Nadu, Hazi Nazir had evaded arrest a number of times. He is wanted in 20 cases in Chittoor district. After producing him in a court in Chittoor, the police shifted him to the sub-jail.

Film-style operation

In a cinematic fashion, forest officials of Chittoor Division (West) gave a hot chase to a red sanders smugglers on Monday, and seized an abandoned vehicle with one tonne of logs worth about ₹ 2 crore, while the miscreants escaped into the forests of Moghili ghat section.

Divisional Forest Officer, T. Chakrapani, acting on a tip-off, deputed a team in Chittoor town, to intercept an SUV carrying the precious logs and bound for Bengaluru. The vehicle with TN registration coming from Tirupati passed Chittoor town, giving a slip to the search party. After an hour-long chase, the miscreants abandoned the vehicle at Moghili ghat section.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...s-logs-seized-thoothukudi/article19475636.ece

THOOTHUKUDI

Customs Department officials seized ₹1 crore-worth red sanders from a godown near Pudukottai on Friday.

Sources in the department said a team of officials raided the godown at Thambikkaimeendan near Pudukottai on Thursday night following information that red sanders had been stocked there. The team found 3.50 tonnes of red sanders concealed in metal drums in the godown, and seized the logs.

The team also seized 10 bags of beedi leaves from the godown.

 

[Hindustani78]

A nabbed batch of woodcutters from hamlets of Jawadi Hills of Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts of TN in front of Task Force police station in Tirupati in Chittoor district.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...-to-red-sanders-smuggling/article19536408.ece

Only 442 accused lodged in jails as undertrials; conviction rate is just 1%
Prevention of red sanders smuggling seems to be a Herculean task to the police, forest and the Task Force officials in the targeted six districts of Andhra Pradesh, with a plethora of technical problems coming in the way of achieving the goal.

Though red sanders smuggling had been going on for four decades in the Seshachalam biosphere in Chittoor and Kadapa districts and the adjoining wildlife sanctuaries in Kurnool, Prakasam and Nellore and the vital transit zone of Anantapur, the magnitude and seriousness of the crime surfaced in 2013 with the brutal killing of two forest officials, allegedly by a mob of woodcutters in the thickets near Tirumala.

During the last two years (2015-16), the police and the Task Force had booked 970 cases against 11,723 people, belonging to A.P., Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and northern States.

Of these a remarkable number of 7,187 were arrested and among them 7,164 were remanded in jails with terms of one month to six months.

As many as 6,745 accused came out of jail on bail. By June end this year, only 442 accused were lodged in jails as undertrials. Alarmingly, the conviction rate is just one per cent.

Senior police officers pursuing the cases deplored that nearly 1,000 warrants had remained pending since two years. When the A.P. Forest Act 2016 (Amended) came into effect, the police and the forest officials went agog with statements that it would prove to be an effective deterrent to the smugglers with enhanced punishments for the guilty and extension of remand periods for the accused.

This Act also enabled the officials in the ranks of Divisional Forest Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police to process the attachment of the properties of the accused based on the findings of their investigation. But, in reality, the picture proved otherwise.

Staff crunch

Not only police and forest officials, but judicial and forensic labs officers observe that red sanders smuggling is a highly specialised crime and it definitely required separate law-enforcing modules. The regular staff in the police and forest wings working for red sanders protection are not a match to the colossal spectrum of the crime and its perpetrators.

For instance, the Red Sanders Task Force has fewer than 150 personnel against its regular strength of about 500.

Though it has a police station to run by itself, shortage of staff made its functioning slack and pursuit of the cases ineffective.

The regular civil police are mostly confined to the plain-area crimes, protocol and bandobust duties. The forest wing personnel are left with no option but to depend on the police for escort in combing operations and filing of cases.

A couple of senior police personnel said going after the elusive accused with fake addresses in the hilly areas of T.N. districts and crisscrossing the hamlets of the Jawadi Hills was like going on a wild goose chase.

Except for some statistics of the accused, their arrests and bail, neither the police nor the forest departments hold any mechanism for maintenance of scientific data of the crime.

The departments lack coordination and instances of meetings for evolving combined strategies are rare. The departments are also handicapped in the absence of any foolproof management to record the details of the accused, including their photographs or fingerprints.

The pursuit against red sanders smuggling is further bogged down as the officials could not initiate any effective talks with their T.N. and Karnataka counterparts in seeking their cooperation. Despite the gravity of the crime, the officials do not move beyond their radius to approach the State-level or Central agencies looking after the environmental and ecological concerns.

It is also observed that it had become a routine that thousands of accused are remanded but let off on bail. Instead of looking at the jails as centres of correctional opportunities, the perpetrators in most cases are reportedly making them the breeding grounds for red sanders smuggling, luring other inmates who are not smugglers.

 

[Hindustani78]

The police producing the international red sander smugglers before the media in Kadapa on Thursday.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...nders-smuggler-aides-held/article19556024.ece

Though an accused in 75 cases and was involved in smuggling for two decades, Maideen was arrested for the first time

The police on Thursday apprehended an international red sanders smuggler, Ahmed Thambi Maideen, 50, of Nagapattinam district, residing at Egmore in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, popularly known as “ATM” among smugglers, and his two aides A. Jahabar Sadiq, 50, and A.J. Kamal Basha, 51, both of Karaikal in Puducherry, near Kudali checkpost on Mydukur-Badvel road in Mydukur mandal of Kadapa district.

Two high end luxury cars, two sedans and a pick-up van worth ₹1.23 crore carrying 68 red sanders logs weighing 1.10 tonnes, ₹54,640, 12 cheque books and 11 ATM cards and a briefcase of Maideen and four cellphones were seized from them, Superintendent of Police Attada Babujee told the media in Kadapa.

Maideen is a close aide of international red sander smugglers Kollam Gangi Reddy and Sahul Hameed of Dubai, and is a reportedly the kingpin in smuggling red sanders from India to China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Malaysia, Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal, Mr. Babujee said, producing the accused before the media.

‘ATM’ has nexus with international red sanders smugglers Chen, Santhan Meeran alias Chandan Meeran, Lee, Chai and Zasberg of China, Singapore Subramanyam, Jawahar Hussain and David of Singapore, Irfan, Shankar and Ashraf of Dubai and smugglers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharastra, Delhi, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the SP said. He reportedly admitted to having smuggled and sold over 3,000 tonnes of red sanders so far.

The SP said Maideen, who failed X standard, worked as tea supplier in a five-star hotel at Andamans in 1987 and set up Maideen Imports and Exports company in Chennai in 1990. The Kadapa police identified movable properties of ₹1.23 crore seized on Thursday and immovable properties worth ₹78.50 crore in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry of Maideen and it would take steps to attach his properties as per the new Amendment of AP Forest Act 1967.

Maideen was arrested in five cases booked by Department of Revenue Intelligence in Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata and another case booked by Customs officials at Tuticorin port, Mr. Babujee said. The Kadapa police are probing his links with international smugglers, he added. He is an accused in 75 cases booked in Kadapa district and was arrested for the first time, though involved in smuggling since two decades, the SP said.

He visited 11 countries, including Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Africa, Srilanka, Nepal, Burma, Thailand and Bangladesh.

Jabahar Sadiq and Kamal Basha were involved in one case each. Maideen’s modus operandi was to export red sanders logs in containers under the cover of a load of granite slabs, ceramic tiles, food grains, sea food, bricks and vegetables, the SP said. He was also involved in hawala transactions, he added.

The SP lauded Mydukur DSP B.R. Sreenivasulu, Faction Zone DSP B. Sreenivasulu, Mydukur Urban circle inspector Y. Venkateshwarlu, sub-inspectors B. Hema Kumar and Konda Reddy and constables for playing a pivotal role in arresting the international red sanders smugglers.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...rs-seized-at-chennai-port/article19567504.ece

They were substituted for goods meant for Malaysia
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officers thwarted an attempt to smuggle 40 tonnes of red sanders logs, worth ₹16 crore in four different consignments, to Malaysia.

The officers had been conducting searches since Thursday night at the Chennai Port. They found that the red sanders logs had been substituted for goods declared as garments and floor mats in the containers and cleared for export after they had left the Container Freight Stations and were on their way to the Chennai sea port.

The DRI had mounted surveillance on the suspected containers leaving CFS for loading on to the vessel on Thursday.

When the officers inspected a container at the wharf, they found that it was stuffed with five tonnes of red sanders logs.

The DRI officers intensified surveillance after receiving information that a few more containers carrying the logs would be arriving at the port.

On intercepting some containers at the port gate, they found two more containers were stuffed with red sanders logs.

The sleuths also detected a shipment of red sanders already loaded in the ship bound for Malaysia.

The Andhra Pradesh police had on Thursday apprehended an international red sanders smuggler, Ahmed Thambi Maideen, 50, residing at Egmore in Chennai and his two aides.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...rs-nabbed-after-hot-chase/article19673034.ece
Tirupati, September 13, 2017 00:45 IST
Updated: September 13, 2017 00:45 IST

Task force officials inspect the seized red sanders logs in Tirupati on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement

71 logs seized in two operations
The outskirts of the temple city witnessed an unsuspecting movie-style car chase between smuggling operatives and task force officials in the early hours of Tuesday, leading to the arrest of two and seizure of 11 red sanders logs.

Acting on credible information regarding illegal transportation of red sanders logs, a team of task force officials led by RSI Ashok Kumar were on a stakeout on Renigunta-Srikalahasthi highway. After a few hours into the operation, the officials noticed a four-wheeler moving from the Diguva Mallavaram area and onto the highway. Though, officials followed the vehicle up to the Renigunta circle to uncover the modus operandi, smuggling operatives on noticing a vehicle on their tail began speeding.

Keeping close to the vehicle and to prevent any accident in the pursuit, the officials coordinated with another team led by FSO Nagaraju, to set up a roadblock near Gajulamandyam circle. They along with highway patrol blocked the road on both sides and eventually had the operatives trapped.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the duo, Mani and Ponnuswamy, hailing from Vellore and Jamunamathur of Tamil Nadu, were trying to transport the logs from a loading point in the interiors of Diguva Mallavaram, to an undisclosed location. The vehicle used by the accused was modified with fake registration numbers and their mobile phones were also seized by the officials for investigation.

However, the task force officials had to embark on a second chase, after reaching their head office, as another set of operatives were suspected of transporting red sanders logs on the Tiruchanur road. While two PCs were following the vehicle on a two-wheeler, it had become difficult for them to bring them to a halt. Adopting a similar strategy, another team, along with support from the passers-by, managed to box them at an intersection and this sudden development had the driver and others abandon the vehicle. The officials recovered 60 red sanders logs, which were disguised under a heap of palm leaves and other debris.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...muggling-operative-nabbed/article19679427.ece

Tirupati, September 14, 2017 01:18 IST
Updated: September 14, 2017 01:18 IST

Forest department officials nab a smuggling operative with red sanders logs near Srivari Mettu forest area, on the outskirts of Tirupati, on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: ; - K_V_POORNACHANDRA_KUMAR

Officials fire two rounds in the air when allegedly attacked
The Forest Department officials, in an early morning combing operation, seized 23 red sanders logs and nabbed a smuggling operative at Mekalabanda forest area near Srivari Mettu, here on Wednesday.

According to DFO D. Phani Kumar Naidu, the combing party, during their routine trek, encountered nearly 26 smuggling operatives in Seshachalam forests and were reportedly carrying red sanders logs to an undisclosed location, probably to a loading point.

No sooner they witnessed the combing party, the smuggling operatives began raining stones on them.

The officials, who could not prevent continued onslaught, fired two rounds in the air as an act of self defence.

This prompted the latter to abandon the logs and flee into the forests.

However, the officials managed to nab one of the smuggling operatives and recovered 23 red sanders logs from the location.

Further investigation revealed that the accused Sethu hailed from Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu and had been involved in smuggling activities for quite some time.

Additional forces have been mobilised to nab the others who fled from the spot, the officials said.

 

[Hindustani78]

Police presenting red sanders smuggling operative Narendra Babu of TN along with seizures in Chittoor on Thursday. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/red-sanders-smuggler-nabbed/article19730561.ece
CHITTOOR, September 22, 2017 00:16 IST
Updated: September 22, 2017 00:16 IST

The Pakala circle police on Wednesday night nabbed an alleged red sanders smuggling operative at I. Rangaiahpalle Cross, 40 km from here, and seized an SUV along with red sanders logs worth over ₹20 lakh.

Deputy SP Giridhar who produced the accused at a press conference here on Thursday said Narendra Babu, 49, of Guduliyattam of Vellore district of Tamil Nadu, a commerce graduate, entered the red sanders smuggling network as a pilot to clandestine vehicles, before becoming a full-fledged operative since 2006.

He is wanted in 20 cases in various police stations in Chittoor district, facing charges for smuggling more than 500 tonnes of red sanders logs to various overseas destinations.

During interrogation, the police found that Narendra had links with smuggling network in various States, and illegally operated warehouses in Karnataka. Absconding since a couple of years, he was nabbed following reliable information about his movements on Wednesday night. He was produced before the local court which remanded him in sub-jail.

 

[Hindustani78]

CHITTOOR , September 23, 2017 23:36 IST
Updated: September 23, 2017 23:36 IST

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...nders-logs-near-ap-border/article19744504.ece

The AP Red Sanders Task Force officials taking possession of the seized SUV along with red sanders logs at Police sub-division office at Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu on Saturday. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement


Task Force officials take possession of contraband

The Kanakamma Chatram police of Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu on Saturday seized an SUV with 17 red sanders logs weighing more than three-fourth of a tonne, while the passengers fled. The AP Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force officials reached Tiruttani sub-division office and took possession of the stocks after furnishing an FIR copy.

According to information, the task force combing party spotted the SUV at Srinivasa Mangapuram at the foothills of Tirumala around 5 a.m. Though they chased the vehicle up to Puttur close to Tamil Nadu border, the vehicle gave a slip to the task force personnel. An FIR was filed at the Task Force police station immediately. Around 10 a.m., acting on information that the vehicle was seized by the Tamil Nadu police, the task dorce personnel reached Tiruttani and initiated steps to shift the seized contraband to Tirupati.

The IG of the Task Force had spoken to the SP of Tiruvallur and furnished the details of the FIR filed at the Task Force station.

This is the third time that the Tamil Nadu police handed over the seizures made in their jurisdiction to the task force.

 

[Hindustani78]

Prize catch: Police present the arrested before the media in Nellore. | Photo Credit: K. Ravikumar

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...ested-in-nellore-district/article19980049.ece

60 red sanders logs, three vehicles seized
In the raids conducted simultaneously at three places, the police arrested 19 inter-State smugglers and seized from them about 60 logs worth nearly ₹80 lakh in Nellore district here on Friday. The seizures also included three vehicles, six cellphones and 12 axes.

Two of the 19 arrested persons hailed from Tamil Nadu. They were identified as one Shanmuga Thangarajan (Karukkampeta, Chennai city) and Kasinathan Sabarinath (Ponneri, Tiruvallur district).

The raids were conducted in Sitharampuram, Dakkili and Kaluvai areas which were known for the increased shady activities of smuggling gangsters in the past one decade.

OSD P. Vithaleswar, who supervised the raids, said that the greater efforts were being made to prevent illegal felling and smuggling of the precious wood from the vulnerable areas in the district. A list of smugglers and accomplices in red sanders smuggling has been prepared for taking tough action. Mr. Vithaleswar said that a constant vigil was being placed on the movement of the suspected gangsters and the local villagers were also asked to pass on information to the police whenever they come across instances of secret gangs indulging in such activities in their vicinity.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...force-juggernaut-rolls-on/article19978064.ece

Reaching out: RSASTF officials interacting with people as a part of awareness campaign on red sanders. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement


‘Silent crusade’ against smuggling yielding result

The efforts undertaken by the Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) to spread awareness on red sanders species, which are endemic to the Seshachalam forest, have reached a new milestone.

Its awareness programmes targeting rural areas through ‘Vana Chaitanya Radham’ have till date covered about 500 villages spread over 18 constituencies with an estimated reach of more than ten lakh people. This, according to task force head M. Kantha Rao, has been a silent but steadfast approach in sensitising villagers on red sanders smuggling and also on the need to safeguard the forest wealth.

He said a five-member team led by Y. Ramakrishna Rao was responsible for spreading the message with tools such as photo exhibitions, short films, songs and much more. “They have spent several days touring the hamlets, eliciting people’s support. The campaign has brought about a change in the mindset of locals and smugglers,” he added.

Terming the campaign a ‘silent crusade,’ Mr. Rao, along with his team, recalled their experiences, including night stays and warm reception by villagers.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...smuggler-among-9-arrested/article22265395.ece

SP Attada Babujee producing the arrested red sanders smugglers before the media in Kadapa on Friday. | Photo Credit: BYARRANGEMENT


Property worth ₹1.5 crore seized from them
A vegetable vendor-turned-international red sanders smuggler Subhan Riaz Basha and four inter-State red sanders smugglers were among nine smugglers arrested by police in three different areas in Kadapa district on Friday.

Fifty-nine red sanders logs weighing 1,042 kg, two transport vehicles, three cars and nine mobile phones, worth ₹1.50 crore were seized from them, Kadapa Superintendent of Police Attadda Babujee told the media in Kadapa police parade grounds.

They were arrested at Amagampalli checkpost in B. Kodur mandal, Neelapuram crossroads on Giddalur road in Kalasapadu mandal and Andhra Kesari road in Proddatur, the SP said.

Subhan Riaz Pasha, 48, and Nayaz Khan, 38, both from Kolar in Karnataka, Vellayan Mani, 40, of Vellore in Tamil Nadu and Iragamreddy Nagadastagiri Reddy, 29, of Proddatur, who were inter-State smugglers, and local smugglers Saddalapalli Abdul Khadeer, 39 and Kalakada Siddha Reddy, 43, of Rayachoti, Katari Chinna Veeraiah, 45, Kancherla Ramachandra Reddy, 46 and Akumalla Chandraiah, 28, of Proddatur were arrested, Mr. Babujee said.

The SP commended Assistant SP of Pulivendula Krishna Rao, Mydukur DSP B.R. Srinivasulu, Proddatur DSP K. Srinivasa Rao, circle inspectors S. Padmanabhan and U. Sadasivaiah and sub-inspectors Hema Kumar, Konda Reddy, Nagamurali, Venkataramana, G. Madduleti, Madhu Malleswara Reddy and staff for apprehending the smugglers.