Prized red wood turns Indian forest into battleground
SESHACHALAM HILLS, India - On a dry, moonless night in October, half a dozen police officers in sweatpants and sneakers crouched behind shoulder-high brush and put their fingers to their lips.
Crickets chirruped and a faint wind crackled the leaves. Vijay Narasimharao, a towering 37-year-old inspector, heard footsteps in the grass less than 100 yards away.
The crunching sound drew closer, and when another officer flicked on his flashlight, about two dozen gaunt men suddenly came into view through a thicket. They flinched in surprise.
The officers lunged as the men scattered. Narasimharao got his hands on one, who squirted out from under him and vanished into the dark.
All escaped except a 29-year-old, who was arrested for allegedly trespassing in the protected Seshachalam forest, home to the rare red sandalwood tree. The officers pulled back the collar of the man's grimy polo shirt to reveal a
