India: About 200 hired workers from Salem district in Tamil Nadu in the wee hours of Monday launched an attack on the joint force of police and forest guards at Krishnapuram village of Renigunta mandal, near Tirupati, before fleeing the scene. They abandoned Rs 2 crore worth red sander logs.

A combing party was moving at Cheendragunta at the thick Mamandur forest beat, when they spotted the movement of hired workers carrying the red sanders logs. The party called for reinforcement from Tirupati. Around midnight, additional force led by Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) G. Srinivasulu joined the team. In spite of this, the 60-member striking force chased the attackers from Cheendragunta to Rallakaluva, a distance of more than 10 km . The workers abandoned the logs at various points and fled. In all, 180 logs were seized weighing about 5.5 tonnes. DIG (Task Force), M. Kantha Rao told The Hindu the combing party did not open fire at the hired workers. “No incident of opening fire took place,” he said. DFO (Wildlife) G. Srinivasulu said only one worker among a huge mob was nabbed. “We have received vital information from him. The entire workforce is very new to the terrain," he said. (Source : IN news hub)