Bengaluru: A 9 km chase of a tempo and subsequent arrest of its owner, who had broken into a house and was escaping with the booty, led the police to a red sanders smuggling racket in Indiranagar. Even the driver did not know that he had stolen red sanders as it was painted to cheat security agencies.
A senior police officer said that night beat policemen attached to the Indiranagar were on rounds in Domlur recently. “They found four men loading some goods into a tempo early in the morning.
ASI Ramakrishnappa and constable cum driver Shivakumar, who were patrolling in the Hoysala vehicle, noticed it. On seeing the police, the four got into the tempo and sped away. Growing suspicious, the policemen chased the tempo that went on Old Madras Road, Richmond Circle, Corporation Circle and reached Bamboo Bazaar near Kalasipalya,” the officer said.
“The miscreants left behind the tempo and fled. When the policemen checked the goods, it turned out to be red sanders logs worth about Rs 6 lakh. Based on the registration number of the vehicle, the tempo owner, Syed Nadeer (30), was traced to Goripalya and was arrested. He confessed to the police that he was driving the vehicle when he was chased,” the officer said.
“Interestingly, those in the tempo did not know that the booty was red sanders wood as it was painted in silver color and was covered by tying electric wire around it. Also, the residents of the house where the theft was committed did not come forward to book any case. During the investigation, it came to light that the residents were not in the house for 10 days before the theft and were not reachable after the incident.
When the house owner was enquired, he said that he rented the house about four months ago to two Chinese women. Now it is suspected that the women or their associates could be involved in the smuggling,” the officer explained.
DCP (East) Satish Kumar told Deccan Chronicle that the police are yet to arrest the other accused in the case. “It is suspected that the red sanders was smuggled and we are on the lookout for those who had rented the house.”
