Army guards fired at armed smugglers who were attempting to hew a sandalwood tree in the military campus at Byappanahalli on Monday around 2.45 a.m. One of the culprits, Ramara Pattiwappa, 40, sustained a bullet injury on his leg.
Ramara is from Salem in Tamil Nadu.
He, along with two associates, ventured into the army camp to chop off a sandalwood tree. When an army patrol unit saw them, they were asked to surrender.
However, the trio pelted stones at the patrol and assaulted the personnel with an axe and an iron bar. One person was injured in the melee, following which Halwadar Rajesh Rana opened fire.
One bullet hit Ramara's left thigh, but his associates escaped.
Rana alerted his seniors who informed the police.
“We are questioning Ramara to ascertain his background and the identity of his associates,” said the police.