The police on Thursday apprehended an international red sanders smuggler, Ahmed Thambi Maideen, 50, of Nagapattinam district, residing at Egmore in Chennai in Tamil Nadu, popularly known as “ATM” among smugglers, and his two aides A. Jahabar Sadiq, 50, and A.J. Kamal Basha, 51, both of Karaikal in Puducherry, near Kudali checkpost on Mydukur-Badvel road in Mydukur mandal of Kadapa district.
Two high-end cars, two sedans and a pick-up van worth ₹1.23 crore carrying 68 red sanders logs weighing 1.10 tonnes, ₹54,640, 12 cheque books and 11 ATM cards and a briefcase of Maideen and four cellphones were seized from them, Superintendent of Police Attada Babujee told the media in Kadapa.
Maideen is a close aide of international red sander smugglers Kollam Gangi Reddy and Sahul Hameed of Dubai, and is reportedly the kingpin in smuggling red sanders from India to China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Malaysia, Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal.
‘ATM’ has nexus with international red sanders smugglers Chen, Santhan Meeran alias Chandan Meeran, Lee, Chai and Zasberg of China, Singapore Subramanyam, Jawahar Hussain and David of Singapore, Irfan, Shankar and Ashraf of Dubai.