Four canine teeth, two molars, one claw recovered

Chamarajanagar: Special Tiger Force (STF) and Bandipur’s Gopalaswamy Hill Range Forest Officers’ team have arrested three persons, while they were trying to sell tiger teeth and claw near the lake at Haradanahalli village in the district and have recovered six teeth and a claw besides seizing a passenger autorickshaw (KA-12-B-0935) .

Following a tip off that three persons in an autorickshaw were trying to sell tiger teeth and claw on NH-948, near the lake at Haradanahalli village, the Forest staff in the guise of buyers approached the three and were confirmed that the tiger teeth and claw were genuine. Soon, other Forest personnel surrounded the spot and arrested the three accused.     

Those arrested are Mahadeva of Hosapodu Haadi, Ramesh of Mavathur and Mani of Vadeyara Palya, all in Chamarajanagar. Following the arrest, the Forest Department personnel have recovered four canine teeth, two molars and one claw from them.  

All the three accused were earlier involved in stealing sandalwood trees, other petty forest crimes and were jailed. Now, they have been booked under Wildlife Protection Act – 1972.

During interrogation, the three accused have confessed of stealing teeth and claws of a dead tigers in Gopalaswamy Hill Range and at Byluru Range in BR Hills.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve In-charge Director Shubham Singh Tanwar guided Special Tiger Force ACF M. Manjunath, Gopalaswamy Hill RFO K.P. Satish Kumar, STF RFO Venkatesh, DRFOs M. Gnanashekar, Karthik Yadav and Srikanth in the operation.