AP police arrest Chinese national in red sanders smuggling

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The Andhra Pradesh police have arrested a Chinese national alleged of smuggling red sanders logs. The Chinese man identified as Yang Ping was arrested by the police in Hyderabad, late on Thursday night. Chittoor district's police took him into custody following which he was sent to be presented before a district court. The details about the arrested smuggler were not immediately available. The arrest has brought to the fore the role played by the Chinese mafia in smuggling the rare red sanders from Andhra Pradesh, the only state where the precious wood grows. As many as 55 Chinese nationals have been arrested for being in possession of red sanders by the Indian police since 2013. The latest arrest is being seen as a major success for Andhra Pradesh Police, which was under scrutiny last month for gunning down 20 woodcutters in the Seshachalam forests at Chittoor. The bodies of the gunned down smugglers, an image which was circulated through WhatsApp The woodcutters from Tamil Nadu were allegedly hired by red sander smugglers operating from that state. Also called red sandalwood, the precious wood is used in traditional medicines and woodcraft across China, Myanmar, Japan and other countries of East Asia. A tonne of red sanders fetches Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh in the international market.

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