Bodies of five suspected red sanders workers recovered from lake in Kadapa

Kadapa SP A Babujee said there were no signs of external injuries on the bodies found in the lake. “They appear to be between 35-40 years age, and not students as initially thought. They are suspected to be red sanders coolies or smugglers. The lake is about one km away from the nearest habitation and near to the Palakonda and Seshachalam forest area which is known for red sanders and smuggling. How they ended up in the lake is a mystery,” SP Babujee said. The lake is situated beside a highway and the bodies were noticed floating today afternoon by shepherds. “Only a post-mortem will reveal whether they drowned in the lake or they were killed somewhere and dumped here,” SP Babujee said.

The AP Police’s Red Sanders Task Force had recently intensified combing operations after smugglers started entering the forests using hitherto unknown routes via Kadapa.

On Friday night, AP Police’s Red Sanders Task Force officers fired in the air to thwart an attack by red sanders workers in the Seshachalam forest near Tirupati. Officials said that on Friday night, the Task Force team tracked down smugglers and woodcutters inside the forest and when confronted, they rained stones and sticks on them. In self-defence, the team fired one round in the air to disperse the attackers. Five woodcutters were arrested while the rest fled from that area. Sources said that as the Task Force launched a massive combing operation, the woodcutters escaped under the cover of darkness.