Kadapa: Bodies of five people, suspected to be that of woodcutters from Tamil Nadu engaged by red sander smugglers, were found under suspicious circumstances in the irrigation tank in Vontimitta located on the side of Kadapa-Tirupati highway on Sunday evening. 

Alerted by locals, police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies. It is being suspected that group of woodcutters, might have attempted to cross the tank to reach the opposite bank of the tank to escape the police who were conducting vehicle check at Vontimitta on Friday night. 

Police are trying to ascertain the identity of the victims with help of the things found in the bags they were carrying with them at the time of the incident. The bags contained torch lights and pickles and some clothes.

However, police have not confirmed if the victims were wood cutters from Tamil Nadu. “We are still investigating and are yet to establish the identity of the victims,” Kadapa Additional SP A N Ashmi told mediapersons. A case has been registered and the investigation is on.