Four Forest Department employees were today arrested along with 14 persons in two separate cases for allegedly smuggling red sanders wood here, police said.
Police have seized 2.5 tonnes of red sanders wood, nine vehicles and several mobile phones from the accused.
"The arrested employees colluded with smugglers. They used to direct and send the smugglers into the forest and inform them about the movement of police, thereby clearing the route for smuggling vehicles," Kadapa Superintendent of Police Naveen Gulati said.
In the first case, Lakkireddipalli Sreeramulu, a Section officer in Pincha Section, was found to be maintaining links with local smugglers Bukke Jaya Naik, Pallapu Tirupathi and Gajjala Sreenivasulu Reddy, all of whom have been arrested.
"Over one tonne red sander logs, one car and four cell phones were seized from them at Parigabandagutta Vanka, of Mudumpadu village in Tsundupalli mandal," he said.
In the second case, the Railway Kodur police arrested Budugu Rama Krishna, Tirupathi Prasad and K Penchalaiah, all working as protection watchers in Balupalli Forest Range along with eight other interstate smugglers at Madhavaram Podu, Gulati said.
Forty three logs of red sanders along with a pick-up vehicle, six four wheelers and one autorickshaw were seized.
The smugglers were identified as Dantham Vebnkatesh (29), Velugu Gangaiah (29), Palem Kota Sreenivasulu alias Subramanyam (30), Kommeddula Sreenivasulu (25), Budugu Ramakrishna (42), Tirupathi Prasad (37), Koppala Penchalaiah (32), Yellutla Ramakrishna (40), Kothapalli Muni Sekhar (27), Ponuganti Parandhama Naidu (39) and Beldon Mallaiah (38), Gulati said.
Further investigation into the case is on.
