Eleven drivers of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and five labourers from Tamil Nadu were today arrested in Kadapa district of the state for allegedly assisting the red sander smugglers.
Ever since the Kadapa district police launched a crack- down on illegal transportation of red sanders, they found that the APSRTC drivers connived with the smugglers to ferry the labourers, who are adept at cutting red sander trees, from Tamil Nadu, police said.
Rajampet police in Kadapa arrested the APSRTC drivers belonging to Nandyal depot, who had joined hands with the red sander smugglers. They were transporting the labourers from Koyambedu bus stand in Chennai to Rajampet and Railway Kodur Forest area of Kadapa through particular RTC buses, they said.
During the interrogation, the drivers said one Syed Akbar Hussain, a driver of APSRTC Nandyal depot, played a key role in the nexus with the connivance of two mediators of Tamil Nadu, police said.
Hussain introduced these RTC drivers through mediators by taking Rs 1,000 extra for each seat and transporting labourers from Tamil Nadu, who cut sandalwood trees for smugglers.
"The transportation is done only through RTC bus service numbers 6443 and 6445 of Nandyal RTC depot and service number 6560 of Allagadda RTC depot, which are regularly operating between Chennai and Nandyal via Tirupati and Kadapa (Chennai services)," police said.
Explaining the modus operandi of the accused, police said these drivers used to reserve the seats at Koyambedu in Chennai for the labourers so that other passengers could not board the vehicle.
"Only the red sander coolies of Tamil Nadu used to get into the bus and no other private passengers could board the bus," police said adding they had taken preventive measures for stopping the infiltration of Tamil Nadu coolies coming to Railway Kodur and Rajampet forest areas for cutting red sanders.
In view of the arrest of the drivers, a report is being sent to the RTC officials for taking necessary departmental action against them.
Investigations were on to arrest other drivers, a police release said.
