Forest Department personnel thwarted five persons suspected to have hatched a plan to poach wildlife and took them into custody after a prolonged chase near Bandipur Tiger Reserve, on Friday.
Based on a tip-off, the forest guards spread a dragnet and waited at critical points to intercept the five persons who were heading towards the forest in a vehicle.
One forest squad waited at Muttigehundi Circle near Beladakuppe in the Hediyala range of the tiger reserve. Another team waited near Hoskote in the Moleyur range. At around 7 a.m. a van with five persons sped towards the Hoskote solar shed but on sighting the Forest Department staff, the vehicle made a swift U-turn and sped towards Hediyala.
Meanwhile, another Forest Department squad had been put on alert at Hediyala and it was waiting near Badagalpura and the vehicle with five suspected poachers – on sighting the squad - swerved again and headed towards Nugu.
A message was relayed to a forest squad in Nugu but the poachers managed to speed past the area and headed towards Sargur. The Sargur police and the range forest officer of the area were immediately alerted with the forest squad from Hediyala and Nugu in hot pursuit of the gang.
A chase ensued and the foresters closed in but the vehicle carrying the gang lost control near Halsur gate while negotiating a curve and turned turtle. All the five persons inside the vehicle were pulled out and taken into custody. Nobody was injured in the process.
T. Balachandra, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve, said that the offenders are from Gurupura in H.D. Kote taluk. The accused were identified as Devaraju, Shivaraju, Umesh, Manju and Veerabhadra. A country-made rifle, gun powder, gas burner, machete and head torch were recovered from the accused who, it is suspected, had hatched a plan to poach wildlife. Further enquiry is on, said Mr. .