Twenty-nine logs of top quality red sanders logs that weigh over 1 tonne were seized by officials of the Ambur Forest Range in a coconut grove on Saturday.
Forest officials said that around 8 a.m., they got an alert that red sanders logs had been stored at a farmland belonging to R. Krishnamurthy, 55, on the outskirts of Ambur town. A team of forest officials, led by M. Babu, Forest Range Officer, Ambur, accompanied by a team of personnel from the Ambur town police went to the spot and found high-quality logs, worth around ₹20 lakh, in the coconut grove.
A case under the Forest Act, 1882, has been filed. The logs were sent to a government timber depot to be made into incense sticks. “The seized logs are of high quality in terms of colour and grains on them. This variety of red sanders can be found mostly in reserve forests in Andhra Pradesh,” Mr. Babu told The Hindu.
Initial inquiry revealed that the logs had been stored for months before being shifted to Krishnamurthy’s grove on Friday, as aged logs sell for higher prices due to their texture and colour. Forest officials said the logs would have been sourced from Tirupati as reserve forests between Chittoor and Tirupati are filled with high-quality red sanders.
The police are looking for Krishnamurthy, who is on the run.
