Firing in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, three poachers shot dead, one escapes

BENGALURU: The patrolling team of the forest department shot three poachers dead at Hanur of Chamarajanagar in Karnataka. The incident was in the range close to Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. A forest staff identified as Sivaraj suffered injuries in the encounter between the poachers and the forest department. He has been admitted to a hospital. One from the poaching team has escaped from the area. A search has been intensified for him.

The incident happened Saturday morning between 5.15 and 5.30. The encounter was between the patrolling team consisting of seven and four poachers armed with country made guns. The dead were identified as Antony Swamy (50) from Marimangalam, John Rose Peter (42) from Jagannath Doddi and Kumar (33) from Larsar Doddi. Mahima Das (45) from Marimangalam village escaped from the area.

Reports say the group reportedly came to hunt deer. The group, which had been hunting deer in the forest, encountered the patrol team when they came out with its meat.
The hunters then opened fire on the patrolling team. The poachers were killed in a subsequent counterattack. Although they were taken to the hospital, their lives could not be saved. The place where the encounter took place is about eight kilometers from the forest boundary. The patrolling team had seized the meat from the poachers. Forensic experts have been entrusted to confirm that the meat is that of the deer. An investigation has been launched into the incident.