Telangana: Smugglers try pulling off a ‘Pushpa’ to ferry teakwood, get caught

Attempts by teakwood smugglers to pull off an Allu Arjun failed after forest officials caught them sneaking out logs worth ₹60,000 out the Sironcha forest area in Maharashtra to Telangana’s Bhupalpally.

According to forest department sources, the smugglers who used a modified pickup truck for the crime had hidden the logs beneath the vehicle to evade detection, a technique shown in Allu Arjun-starrer film Pushpa: The Rise.

The plan, however, didn’t work out as forest officials intercepted the vehicle on Monday (June 19), seizing teakwood worth ₹60,000 and arresting two persons.

“They concealed the timber logs beneath the truck to evade detection during transportation. The teakwood, sourced from Sironcha in Maharashtra, was being illicitly smuggled into Bhupalpally. A case has been filed, and investigation is underway,” Telangana Today quoted District Forest Officer B Lavanya as saying.

The report said there is a raging demand for smuggled wood in Telangana’s Warangal district, with a six feet-long and six inch-wide log selling between ₹5,000 to ₹6,000. The smugglers would sell the same for ₹2,500 to ₹3,200 in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

The smugglers commit the crime in alleged connivance with forest department officials in Mahadevapur and Palimela mandals, an official told TT.