Bengaluru forest officials bust poaching racket, seize 74 kg of deer and wild boar meat

The action was based on specific intelligence that a group had been hunting deer in the forests of Bannerghatta and Kolar and selling the meat illegally.

In a major crackdown on a poaching racket, Bengaluru forest officials seized 74 kg of illegally hunted deer and wild boar meat, along with firearms and vehicles, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s office said on Sunday. One person has been arrested, while three others remain on the run.

The operation was carried out on Bannerghatta Road, where officials intercepted a car near the Bannerghatta-NICE Road junction.

According to news agency PTI, the operation was carried out on Bannerghatta Road, where forest officials intercepted a car near the Bannerghatta-NICE Road junction and arrested 31-year-old Pratap.

He was found transporting the carcasses of four spotted deer and one wild boar. Two cars, a motorcycle, and two guns were also seized from the spot.

The action was based on specific intelligence that a group had been hunting deer in the forests of Bannerghatta and Kolar and selling the meat illegally. A joint team of Bengaluru forest officials and the vigilance squad led the operation, the report added.

During interrogation, the accused Pratap revealed the location of a shed in CK Palya, where additional deer meat was stored. Forest officials raided the shed and recovered more meat, bringing the total to 74 kg sourced from nine deer and one wild boar. They also seized a double-barrel and a single-barrel gun, ten cartridges, a car, and a bike, the report further added.

The shed owner, Bhimappa, and his alleged accomplices, Balaraju and Ramesh, are absconding according to PTI. A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Karnataka Forest Minister Khandre commended the forest officials for their swift and coordinated response in uncovering the racket.