Yogesh K Porwar & Siddharth Sethia
A 70-year-old shepard bravely confronted two hunters and later helped the police to crack down on wildlife hunting racket in Mannarapura forest area on Thursday evening.
The old man Srinivasappa was returning home with the herd from the forest area when two of the goats ate the explosives laced with eatables and exploded .
Due to the impact heads of the animal shattered while other goats and sheep ran helter-skelter.
Shocked Srinivasappa reached the dead goats and trying to examine when two of the accused appeared form their hideouts and tried to flee in the bike .
Srinivasappa raised alarm and confronted them but they tried to attack him in a bid to escape.
Srinivsappa defended them with a sickle he had with him.Sensing trouble the duo left the bike and ran away with one of the dead goat with them.
Srinivasappa carried one of the dead goat and informed the villagers who reached the incident spot carried the bike left by the accused before alerting the police .
The forest officials by then reached the spot and while examining the bike a pack of explosives fell and exploded.Two of the forest staff sustained injuries at their hands and legs.
The Chikkaballapura rural police rushed to the spot and based on the bike’s registration number, the police track down Nagesh,56,a wildlife hunter from Chintamani and his associates Narayanaswamy,35,who owns a chicken shop in Chikkaballapura.
The duo used to source explosives from their contacts and places in the forest area to hunt down wild boars and other animals .
The duo was booked under explosive substances Act, section 283 (Danger or obstruction in public), 286 ( Negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance) 429 (Mischief by killing,poisoning,maiming or rendering useless any )and section 427 (mischief causing damage )under IPC for further investigation.
