Based on 'Blood Sanders', documentary on fugitive Shahul Hameed to air on France 5

Hyderabad: Notorious red Sanders smuggler Shahul Hameed, who is wanted by Interpol, is again in the news.

'Executioner of Forests' an episode on the environmental crimes of Shahul Hameed, is part of the web series 'Planet Killers'. It will be telecast on France TV on April 3.

The episode is based on Hyderabad-based senior journalist Sudhakar Reddy Udumula’s best-seller 'Blood Sanders’.

The investigative episode about the Red Sanders smuggler Shahul Hameed who is suspected to be hiding in Dubai was produced by Premieres Lignes, an independent production company and press agency based in Paris.

Directed by Hugo Van Offel, the web series is produced by Martin Boudot. The documentary revolves around environmental criminals. On April 3, the two documentaries, The Godfather of the Oceans and The Executioner of the Forests, will be telecast on France 5.

"We have identified top environmental criminals who are on the Interpol red list. Red sandalwood is endemic to the hill forests of Seshachalam, Veligonda, Lankamala, and Palakonda in Andhra Pradesh in India. It is rare and expensive and used for luxury furniture made with this wood and popular in China and Japan," said Director of Film Hugo Van Offel.

"To make this episode, we worked with Sudhakar Reddy Udumula, an Indian investigative Journalist. He had written a book 'Blood Sanders The Great Forest Heist' and it proved to be a great help. In The Executioner of the Forests, Sudhakar Reddy Udumula is the story's common thread."

Hugo Van Offel was the director of the episode 'Samantha Lewthwaite': The White widow' as part of the 'Most Wanted' Web series on Netflix.

Sheik Dawood Shahul Hameed a native of Abiramam in Tamilnadu is wanted by the AP Police, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate.

The episode on Shahul Hameed was shot in Hyderabad, Tirupati, Guntur, Chennai, Sheshachalam forests, Singapore, and Dubai. It featured several former police officials, DRI officials, and Red sanders smugglers.

An Interpol red corner notice about him reveals that he can speak Tamil, Urdu, Arabic, and English.

"In Asia, red sandalwood is considered an outward sign of wealth. They make exceptional furniture or musical instruments at exorbitant prices. But this tree only grows in one place in the world: the Seshachalam forest in southeastern India. On-site, rangers are trying to stem the traffic because traffickers have already decimated 95% of the species. And a name constantly comes to their ears: Sahul Hameed, the godfather of traffic, "the executioner of the forests," France 5 TV said.

"The fortune of this Indian criminal, wanted by Interpol since 2016, is estimated at 120 million dollars. After a first arrest by the Indian police, he fled to Dubai and continued to lead his organization from the small emirate, where he led the way: private jet, luxury cars, and villas under high protection. From Indian forests to the port of Singapore via Dubai, his hunt will reveal the secrets of an international timber trade that involves phantom companies, corrupt customs officers, and state complicity."