The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Red sanders racket: links with Chennai operators exposed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 29, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Red sanders racket: links with Chennai operators exposed

Ravi Reddy

Report by Kadapa SP brings out several important details

HYDERABAD: Police and forest officials are upbeat following vital leads provided by Maddipatla Reddy Narayana alias Naraprathap, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of red sanders in Rayalaseema, on other gangs and close links with big-time operators in Chennai.

Interrogation of Narayana, along with 11 others, has yielded interesting information about the gangs operating in Kadapa and other districts, besides their contacts in Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai. The arrest of 38-year-old Narayana, from Battavandlapalli of Sambepalli mandal in Kadapa district, and his confession resulted in the suspension of 21 police officials and 10 Forest Department staff for their alleged ‘nexus’ with smugglers. It also exposed the help extended by politicians.

A seven-page report by Kadapa SP Y. Nagi Reddy submitted to the Government has brought out several unknown facts about the red sanders smuggling.

It named L. Venkatrama Raju, Jayashankar, Lakshman, Ramesh, Madi and Kumar (all from Chennai), Alluru Babu of Valasalapalli (Tirupati) and Dhanpal (Chittoor) as big time operators, who purchased the smuggled red sanders.

Thirty persons from Rayachoty, Mydukur and Vontimitta supplied red sanders to eight gangs operating from Rayachoty, Vempalli, Rajampet, Mydukur and Vontimitta areas of Kadapa district.

The driver-turned smuggler had worked in Kuwait before returning home. Narayana’s differences with one Dharamsetty Sri Hari of Rajampet resulted in the latter’s murder last year. On release from jail, he teamed up with one C. Mahesh Naidu and started smuggling operations.

Narayana’s gang smuggled 33 loads of red sanders worth Rs. 4.18 crore, of which Rs. 36.30 lakh and Rs. 21.64 lakh, respectively were paid to police and forest staff for their ‘cooperation’.

The report noted that a mango orchard in Rayachoty, a motor shed on the Motagatla-Mallur road, a rock quarry in Gurramkonda, a stone factory in Kamalapuram and chemical factory in Rayalacheruvu were used as the stock points.

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