Hyderabad: Notorious red sanders smuggler Kollam Gangi Reddy was taken into custody by the Andhra Pradesh CID from Mauritius authorities after deportation formalities were completed. According to AP Police, Reddy is notorious for organising and operating the entire network of red sanders smuggling from cutting the trees to transporting them to various ports across the country to smuggling them abroad for the past many years.
Once allegedly associated with Naxalites, Reddy is an accused in the 2003 landmine attack on the then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu near Alipiri in Tirupati. Dozens of cases of smuggling of red sanders were registered against Gangi Reddy following seizures made by forest and police officials and arrest of many of his henchmen. Officials say he amassed a huge fortune by smuggling red sanders and selling them in the international market.
Hailing from Kadapa, the 58-year-old fled the country after the Telugu Desam Party came to power in May 2014. Based on the number of cases registered against him, a red corner notice was issued against him. This February, he was detained by Mauritius authorities while he was about to board a flight to Colombo.
"Reddy fled to Dubai and from there flew to various countries such as Ghana and Madagascar spending a few months in each country and continued to be elusive. On February 2 this year, he landed in Mauritius and the police took him into custody,’’ AP DGP J V Ramulu said.
