Seshachalam forest again witnesses guards firing

The Seshachalam forest in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh again witnessed a fierce clash between the rangers and red sanders smugglers on Saturday morning, leading to firing in the air by the forest guards. As the forest guards task force was going on their patrolling, a smugglers band attacked them with deadly weapons. The forest guards, who were trapped, fired warning shots. As a result the smugglers ran for their lives, leaving 21 red sanders logs behind. After the smugglers fled, the guards collected the logs and estimated the cost at Rs 50 lakhs. The smugglers are generally woodcutters from the contiguous districts in Tamil Nadu and people below the poverty line who are hired by the rich smugglers from far and wide, including China.