A special task force of Andhra Pradesh police seized 19 red sandalwood logs and arrested 20 workers from Tamil Nadu on Sunday, July 16. The seized red sanders are worth 50 lakhs, according to the AP police. 

Kurnool range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Senthil Kumar told media that police teams had taken up combing operations in three areas of Rajampet and Tirupati districts. During the combing operation, the police encountered people carrying away red sandalwood logs, the DIG said. They were surrounded and taken into custody, he further added.

Combing operations took place in the forest areas near Chakirevu of Tummalabailu in Annamayya district and Dinnela forest in Chittikurava Rasta Kona of Sanipaya range in Annamaiya district. A similar operation was also carried out in the forest area opposite Venkata Padmavathi Institute College in Tirupati Peeleru road. 

The arrested men from Tamil Nadu are Ramesh (42), Suresh Sambasivam (38), Naveen Venkatesan (23), Sengodaran Muniswamy (29), Kolandai Chinnapayyan (50), Elumalai (33), Samikannu Pachaiyan (37), Ganesan Picchan (28), Anantharaman (19), Anbu Pacchan (40), Alageshan Kumaraswamy (36), Senthil Raman (30), Venkatesan Kali (34) and Ranganathan Perumal (39), Murali Murugan (24), Ellian (57), Velu Ratnam (36), Muthuraman Chinnapayan (40), Damodaram Raja (46) and Satyavelu Ratnam (27).