Penumuru,  The Andhra Pradesh police have busted a red sanders-smuggling racket here and four people were arrested in this connection.

Police also claimed to have seized red sanders weighing about 5.2 tonne worth Rs 2.5 crore, from their them.

The accused were identified as Ummakka Sivayya (31), Kambam Krishnayya (63), A. Kiran (25) and V. Balaji (19).

Acting on a tip-off, the police under the supervision of Chittoor SP Senthil Kumar and ASP Y. Rishant Reddy intercepted a truck and a car driven by the red sanders smugglers. However, they tried to flee the spot but were later nabbed.

"Sivayya has been booked in 12 cases of illegal smuggling of red sanders under various police stations in Kadapa district," said a police official.

While Krishnayya had retired from the forest department in Kadapa's Rajampeta division in 2018, Balaji, on the other hand, is from Tamil Nadu's Vellore.