Indian Police on Tuesday said over 20 people were killed when police shot at a group of sandalwood smugglers in a forestry area of Chittoor in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
A gunfight occurred between police and smugglers in Seshachalam forest at around 5 a.m. in Chittoor about 500 km from Hyderabad, the state capital.
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Deputy Inspector General of Police, Kanta Rao, told newsmen that over 100 smugglers and labourers attacked police first, forcing them to open fire in self-defense.
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However, some policemen were also injured in the encounter with the smugglers.