Year after bloody encounter, Andhra smugglers back in business

The smugglers are back in business inside the Seshachalam forest in Andhra Pradesh. Or so it would seem, going by the haul of 36 tonnes of red sanders wood, worth ₹16.2 crore in the international market, that was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Chennai. 

For the last one week, Chennai seaport was under surveillance based on specific intelligence about red sanders being smuggled out. The precious wood was seized during a raid on a private godown in the Vanagaram-Ambattur road. 

Export of red sanders, which is listed as an endangered species, is prohibited by the government of India. The best variety is found in the Seshachalam forest in Chittoor-Kadapa districts of Andhra Pradesh, with each ton, even by conservative estimates, going for ₹50 lakh. 

The haul has surprised DRI officials in Chennai. Since the encounter in April last year - when 20 woodcutters from Tamil Nadu were gunned down by the Andhra Special Task Force while they were cutting and transporting red sanders - no consignment of the commodity has been caught being smuggled. 

This led them to believe that the encounter had scared smugglers, forcing them to pause on their activity.

"Who says smuggling stopped,'' asks a candid Andhra Pradesh Forest Minister B Gopalakrishna Reddy. "Smuggling has been continuing even after the encounter. Contrary to what everyone thought, there is no fear after last year's encounter. Many woodcutters and labourers are engaged from Tamil Nadu to smuggle out the wood even now. We believe our forest staff at the lower level are conniving with the smugglers.''

Andhra's Forest department wants to check out if the red sanders seized is old material (which may have been stored) or fresh stock. Officials admit that if it is new stock, such a huge quantity is a matter of concern. The department had recently built a 300 km long trench all along the border of the forest, 3 metres wide and 3 metres deep, to prevent smugglers from crossing over. 

"But we find that the trench is not a significant deterrent. People are using planks to cross over,'' admits PV Ramesh, Principal Secretary, Environment and Forests. 

The revenue from the sale of red sanders is important to the Andhra exchequer. In 2014-15, 2300 tonnes of red sanders was auctioned for Rs 800 crore. Sources say the consignment was bound for the UAE. Officials say they are aware that Dubai is emerging as a destination for red sanders, as it has better holding capacity for storage and it is sold when the prices soar in the international market. 

The vast expanse of the Seshachalam forest is guarded by 264 men of the Special Task Force, with 32 CCTVs and drones recording every activity. If the latest consignment turns out to be a case of fresh felling, it means smugglers are cocking a snook at all the security paraphernalia. 

• TS Sudhir
• Andhra Pradesh
• Red Sanders
• Smugglers