Their coordinated action to nab Rafeeq, who allegedly shot the two animals, turned out to be an action-packed event on the busy main road of Chikkamagaluru.
Acting on a tip off that Rafeeq would come to the city for consultation with an advocate, a team of police surrounded an SUV that was parked on the main road. “By the time we surrounded the locality, the accused had fled the scene. However, two of his accomplices were arrested and the SUV was seized,” a senior police officer from Chikkamagaluru told BM.
The poaching of the protected sambar deer has come as a setback in the conservation efforts of Karnataka. The KFD has been hot on its heels since the episode trying to capture the culprits.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) BG Hosmath told Mirror: “I have interacted with the SP, Chikkamagaluru and he has promised all possible support to arrest the culprits in this case. The accused seems to be a part of a larger network as there were poaching cases against them in Chitradurga too. We have been coordinating with all agencies to arrest the people involved and recover equipment, weapons used in the crime.”
The sambar deer form a major part of the food chain. The reduction in their numbers would endanger tigers that prey on them.
