Forest, Excise officials register separate cases against five accused

Chamarajanagar: The Excise Department officials, on Sept. 26, have seized 292 ganja plants weighing 213 kgs which were grown inside Koli Hatti Forest area at Dodda Sampige Reserve Forest in BRT Tiger Reserve and have registered a case against five persons who had illegally grown the ganja plants.

Following a tip off that ganja plants were grown inside the forest, the Excise and the Forest Department sleuths conducted a joint operation and seized the ganja plants.

While the Excise Department has registered a case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the Forest Department has registered a case under Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 against 70-year-old Badagara Basava, 35-year-old Naga, 37-year-old Panda, 40-year-old Shivanna and 48-year-old Jadeyappa, all residents of Nalli Katri Podu in Hanur taluk.

BRT Tiger Reserve Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) and Director B.S. Sripathi guided Excise Dy.SP K.Y. Vijayakumar, Byluru Range Forest Officer (RFO) D. Devaraju, Kollegal Excise Inspector C.M. Dayanand, DRFO S. Rajesh and Constable M. Shantharaju, Driver Manju Prasad, Forest Watcher Pandesh and staff in the seizing operation.