Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Feb 27: Forest officials, who detected the killing of a deer in Beedibettu forest area in the taluk falling under Someshwara wildlife division, have taken one person into custody. The arrested man was produced in the court and remanded to judicial custody. In the meanwhile, the officials are continuing with their search for the other accused.

A team of forest officials led by range forest officer, H S Tyagaraj, had found out on Saturday February 25 that a deer was illegally hunted in Belanje village and its meat and body parts had been buried, took one of the accused into custody. Tyagaraj has been investigating the case under the directions of deputy conservator of forests (Karkala wildlife division), Dr Maria Christaraj, and assistant conservator of forests, N K Nirmala.

In the meanwhile, there are rumours in the area that the forest staff had arrested someone not connected with the hunt instead of taking into custody the actual culprits. There are also allegations that the police and forest officials, in spite of having prior information about hunting incidents inside the forests, do nothing to stop them. They say that groups of people from Shivamogga district often come here in jeeps and motor bikes for hunting. In some places of Seetanadi area, left overs after cooking food, plastic and beer bottles etc can be found abandoned. As hunting of deer is a punishable offence, the person arrested will be in jail if his guilt is proved.

The team which conducted the operation comprised of Hebri wildlife unit's in-charge deputy range forest officer, Prashant, in-charge deputy range forest officer of Seetanadi wildlife unit, Shekhar Gowda, and forest guards, Mallayya and Devanand.