NELLORE: Red Sander Task Force team has nabbed an international red sander smuggler, Sadiq Mansoor, and five foreign buyers. The task force team has taken six smugglers into custody in two cases booked under Venkatagiri and Dakkili police station limits.
The police have seized 340 kg of 30 red sanders logs, Skoda car, Rs.26,000 and a mobile phone from them in one case. In another case, they seized five red sanders logs.The accused were identified as Tippu Sultan (34), Sonam Topgyal (42), Renu Pandey (37), Tempa Gyalze (26), O U Fushou (47), Sadiq Mansoor (42) and Wasim Raja (26). District Superintendent of Police P H D Ramakrishna told reporters here on Friday that Tippu Sultan, Sonam Topgyal, Renu Pandey, Tempa Gyalzen and O U Fushou were arrested while they were transporting 340 kg of 30 red sanders logs in a Skoda car, on Thursday, on the Yathaluru-Srikalahasti road. The SP said that Fushou had been involved in exporting red sanders illegally from Bengaluru, Chennai and also from Delhi to other countries.
He also informed that Fushou along with Tippu Sultan and Sonam Topgyal, Renu Pandey of Nepal, Tempa Gyalzen of Tibet visited Venkatagiri area to test the quality of red sanders logs to purchase and export them to other countries.
Fushou on business visa
“Fushou has been exporting red sanders logs illegally to Hong Kong, China and other countries through air cargo from Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru after testing the quality of red sanders logs,” said Ramakrishna. The SP said that Fushou, who got business visa, had been residing in the country for the last one month to export red sanders logs illegally from Delhi. “Fushou has been exporting the logs to other countries with the help of smugglers from Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi,” informed Ramakrishna.
In another case, Task force team under Dakkili police station limits nabbed an international red sander smuggler Sadiq Mansoor and also Wasim Raja at Elavur junction and seized 240 kg of five red sanders logs from them. Sadiq Mansoor, an international smuggler hails from Taramani in Chennai, has been involved in red sander smuggling cases across the country.
Wasim Raja from Nethaji Nagar in Chennai is also involved in three cases of red sanders smuggling. “About nine cases have been booked against Sadiq Mansoor across the country and three cases have been booked against Wasim Raja,” said the SP. He also said that about five cases were registered within 10 days after the Task Force Team was set-up in the district to curb smuggling.