20 red-sander smugglers killed in encounter with police in Andhra Pradesh

Twenty red-sander smugglers, allegedly hired by the local mafia, were killed by the Special Task Force in Seshachalam hill ranges, near Tirupati on Tuesday. 

The smugglers allegedly attacked the police with stones, axes and knives, which lead to the police opening fire on them. According to the police, the smugglers are from places like Salem and Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu.

"Twenty red sander smugglers have died at two places. There was an exchange of fire with our task force personnel. They (smugglers) were carrying red sander logs and attacked the police and forest personnel with sickles and fire arms. They also attacked the personnel with stones," Additional DGP (Law and Order) R P Thakur told PTI.

After the police personnel came under attack, they retaliated, he said.

"The smugglers, once challenged by the police, tried to overpower the security personnel and carry away the logs. In the process, they attacked the policemen," Thakur said.

"Most of the smugglers are from Tamil Nadu...They regularly come in our area and cut red sanders which is transported in small vehicles to different places," he said.

There are reports that some police and forest personnel have also been injured in the attack, the details of which are awaited, the ADGP said.

According to the police official, there were over 100 people in the group.

Similar fights between the red-sander smugglers and the police have been taking place in various parts of Andhra Pradesh. According to reports, more than a thousand workers, mainly from Tamil Nadu, are in jail for attempts to cut and smuggle red-sanders. 

While red sander is not used much in India, it is a rare and valued item used in traditional medicines and woodcraft across China, Myanmar, Japan and East Asia. It is also used in shipbuilding.

The main target of these smugglers are the hills of Seshachalam and Nalgonda forest in Andhra Pradesh. To cut these trees, agents source people from Tamil Nadu, especially from districts like Tiruvannamalai and more from the tribal villages of Javademalai, who have expertise in cutting woods.

With Chandrababu Naidu taking charge as the new Chief Minister of Seemandhra (Andhra Pradesh), the Andhra Pradesh Police and Forest Departments have launched a massive hunt for the smugglers. Even in the 2014 Assembly and general elections, Naidu had said he would crack down on red-sander smugglers.