Mystery of dead tiger in Bandipur solved: One held

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Mysuru: The Forest department has solved the mysterious death of a tiger whose carcass was found at Mallaiyanakatte Kere in Kabbepura village of Kundakere range in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district, and arrested a person in this connection.

The accused has been identified as Rechappa, 34, a resident of Kabbepura village. It is said that the arrested person had installed an electric fence illegally around his field, and the tiger died when it accidentally came in contact with it.

To hush up the incident, he, along with five others decided to dispose of the carcass and accordingly, they tied the limbs of the tiger with an iron cable, and a boulder to its neck, and dumped it inside a lake. As the body started decomposing, the carcass surfaced. A villager saw the carcass and informed the Forest department.

On receipt of the information, officials visited the spot and suspected the hand of poachers behind the incident. A probe revealed the involvement of Rechappa in the incident and took him into custody for investigation. The accused admitted to committing the crime with the help of five others. The Forest department has formed two special teams to nab the absconding persons