2 held for felling red sanders

TIRUPATI: The forest department officials in Tirupati have nabbed two wood cutters engaged in felling of red sanders while 90 others managed to escape on Friday.Tirupati divisional forest officer (DFO) T Chakrapani said that they were tipped off about the arrival of smugglers from Vellore in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu state to Chandragiri, in a bus belonging to Tamil Nadu RTC.However, the forest officials were immediately stationed at Ithepalle checkpost in order to intercept the bus and nab the smugglers.Meanwhile, the news seemed to have reached the smugglers, who abandoned the bus and fled, before they reached Ithepalle, Chakrapani said.“We could manange to nab two wood cutters, while 90 of them had escaped.They had axes and sickles with them.The Seshachalam forest region and our forest beats have been put on alert,” he added. The two nabbed wood cutters have been identified as Velayudham (40) and Elumalai (35).The bus driver and conductor were also questioned before setting them free.Chittoor: Bangarupalem police have seized one tonne of red sander logs along with a truck that has been used to transport them at Mogili ghat of Bangarupalem mandal in the wee hours of Friday.As part of the routine vehicle check-ups, police personnel inspected the truck as it was left abandoned.According to police, they found red sander logs during the check.The truck and the logs were seized and handed over to the forest department.A case has been registerd.