Sunday 12 January 2014

Red sanders smugglers amass wealth, earn crores, buy flats, agriculture lands and luxury cars

U Sudhakar Reddy


 Red sanders smugglers can retain their wealth as the forest 
department and police are not confiscating their properties they earned from crime. Smugglers just walk out of jail on bail and enjoy the properties as they are booked under non bailable sections and no chargesheets are filed in time. Most of the top smugglers own palatial buildings, luxurious cars and are growing rich say officials. Police and forest officials are failing to exercise the provisions of CrPC regarding confiscation of properties of Red Sanders smugglers.AP Biodiversity Chairman Dr R Hampaiah said ,” Red Sanders smugglers have grown stinking rich and amassed huge wealth. Even local politicians are involved in it. They earned crores of rupees. Their properties are not attached. They just walk out on bail. Forest department or police are no booking cases under IPC and AP Biodiversity act. Till this incident of attack on foresters they were only booking case under bailable sections of forest act. Only the wood cutters are caught most of the top smugglers are absconding,”Smugglers in Kadapa and Chittoor district were found investing in buying huge chunk of agriculture lands.Sources in the Special Task Force said that Balaraju alias Balu who was arrested recently by Tirupati police was a driver and didn’t even pass seventh class but he is now a crorepati. Top smugglers Shabuddin son of Yakum Khan of Katiganhalli in Bangalore district, Senthil of Chennai, Shahul Hameed, Reddy Narayana of Kadapa are all now grown rich.“Even Reddy Narayana was about contest as MLA. Most of the smugglers are not chargesheeted. In 2013 forest department didn’t file any chargesheets in red sanders smuggling case,” said a police official.Though enforcement Directorate has attacked the properties of notorious red sanders smuggler Ajit Satam in 2013 June by confiscating Rs 30 crore worth of properties including eight luxury cars State forest department and police didn’t take any cue from it. ED found that Satam earned Rs 40 crore by smuggling red sanders worth Rs 104 crore. Satam a class 12 drop out allegedly invested in real estate by buying flats in prime areas and luxury cars in Mumbai. He used to smuggled out red sanders from AP to Dubai. ED has registered a case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act against him.Recently State forest department has written to ED regarding Chinese nationals involving red sanders smuggling. ED officials are yet to take up the case as there is no clarity on whether Red Sanders will be a prohibited good after government allowed international trade. Officials say if not PMLA the local police can use CRPC to attach the crime proceeds money.Shahul Hameed, a citizen of Singapore is another big man who earned hundreds of crores of rupees in the smuggling and own properties in Chennai.Maddipatla Reddy Narayana of Battalavandlapalle in Kadapa is one of the key racakteers. Reddy Narayana was an inlliterate who went to Kuwait in 1996 and he was imprisoned their for 10 years after one of his associates tipped him off. After he was deported from Dubai he formed a gang and smuggling red sanders and police said he made money of Rs 4.18 crore.An official involved in raids over red sanders smugglers said ,”Most of the top smugglers who are in Katiganahalli in Karnataka, Red Hills In Tamilnadu and those in Kadapa who are once ordinary residents have earned crores of rupees. One Sendhil of Vyasarapatti in Chennai is another key man who amassed wealth,”After the incident of killing of foresters Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy had ordered forest and police departments to attach the properties of smugglers.Chittoor Superintendent of Police PHD Ramakrishna said,”Recently Tirupati police begun the process the attach 30 acres of one of the smugglers,”

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