Forest officials solve tiger poaching case in Kodagu

• Six persons including Gram Panchayat member arrested
• Guns, snares, scooter, car seized; Tiger claws, skull, bones, whiskers, trapping camera recovered

Madikeri: The Forest Department Officials have solved a tiger poaching case and have arrested six persons including a Gram Panchayat (GP) member besides seizing guns, vehicles and recovering parts of the tiger from them.

Those arrested are Channaiahnakote GP Member Appaji, Rajesh, Harish and Manoj of Maldare village and J.K. Vinu and J.B. Ramesh of Chennagi village.

Details: The Madikeri Forest Mobile Squad personnel, on Feb. 14 had arrested Rajesh, Harish, Vinu and Ramesh, while they were attempting to sell tiger pelt and other parts. They  had recovered tiger skin, claws, hind legs and whiskers from them and  had handed over the recovered tiger parts to Anechowkur Wildlife Division Officials.

The Anechowkur Wildlife Division Officials, who had registered a case, conducted a search around the house of accused Harish, during which they found the tiger skull and bones which were buried inside the ground. When the Forest staff conducted a search in the houses of GP member Appaji and Manoj, they found the guns which were used in the crime, few claws, whiskers, sandalwood pieces, snares and a camera (used for camera trapping tigers during census) and seized them. The Forest staff also seized a scooter and a car, which was used to transport the tiger parts.

All the accused were produced before a Court which remanded them to judicial custody.

There is information that many others, who were involved in poaching the tiger have gone absconding and the Forest Officials have launched an operation to trace and nab them, according to Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Hunsur Wildlife Sub-Division in a press release.