Forest department personnel shot the hunter
Chamarajanagar: One person was killed in a shootout between forest department personnel and a gang of miscreants who hunt deer in the Maddur range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Chamarajanagar district on Sunday morning.
The deceased is Manu (27), a resident of Bheemanabidu in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district. The incident occurred near Hangahalli in Maddur range. A sack filled with deer meat was found near his dead body.
On Saturday night, a gang of seven to eight people armed with rifles and other weapons had entered the forest illegally and hunted the deer.
Speaking to DH, P Ramesh Kumar, director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, said, “The anti-poaching squad had heard the sound of firing. He immediately brought it to the notice of the range forest officer. He formed two teams and started the operation. A team tracked down the gang carrying the deer carcass. According to the personnel, there were seven to eight people.
As the poachers opened fire against the department personnel, they retaliated in self-defence when the bullet hit one person. However, there were no injuries to the personnel, he said.
Other hunters fled from the spot, a search operation has been launched to nab them. Ramesh Kumar told that deer meat and a rifle have been seized. Superintendent of Police Padmini Sahu, Additional SP Udesh and other officials visited the spot.
