Anti-smuggling task force gets a tech boost to save precious red sanders in Andhra Pradesh

Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) uses intelligence, technology, and training to combat red sanders smuggling effectively.

Gone are the days when the sleuths of Red Sanders Anti Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) randomly stopped speeding vehicles on highways to seize the precious red sander logs smuggled out of the Seshachalam forest.

Armed with precise intelligence inputs, trained manpower and accurate tracking mechanisms, the Task Force teams are now geared up to zero in on the scene of crimes and nab the culprits before the red danders trees are felled.

The year 2024 has been eventful for the Tirupati-headquartered RSASTF in terms of the seizure of red sanders logs, arrest of criminals and even the cases that were brought to the conviction stage.

For the first time since its formation in 2016, the Task Force has accorded a top priority to training its manpower at the Police Training College (PTC) in Kalyani Dam near Tirupati.

By adopting proper teaching methodology, the personnel are trained in the nuances of gathering precise intelligence, trekking hostile terrains, using technology to track suspicious movements so as to pin them down at the entry or exit points.

Being an election year, 2024 came as a blessing in disguise. Setting up checkposts along the district and state borders to curtail the distribution of cash and goodies to voters discouraged the smugglers from venturing into the woods.

Consequently, the number of cases registered plummeted to 94 this year from 180 in 2023, but the number of persons arrested saw a gradual dip from 586 in 2023 to 413 (by November end). Against the 1,542 logs seized last year, the number rose to 1,794 for the same period.