Inspired by poaching techniques adopted by forest dwellers in the equatorial forests after watching them on television, a bike-lifter-turned poacher’s hunting game turned fatal on Monday night when a 35-year-old farmer died of gunshot injuries in the forest of Gangavaram mandal.
Irate villagers stalked the poacher and apprehended him in the early hours of Tuesday, when he turned up at the spot, to bag his “trophy”. Reddappa Reddy (40) of Boodidapalle hamlet of the mandal started his career as a bike-lifter. In 2012, cases were booked against him by the police in Palamaner sub-division. Reddappa reportedly became obsessed with a television channel airing programme on nature and wildlife. He was reportedly inspired by the crude but intelligent tactics of forest tribes in arranging nooses and gun-traps. He allegedly procured a couple of a country-made weapons and started his experiments three years ago.
At nightfall, using panels made of bamboo sticks and steel wire, he would fix the gun with the barrel at 30 degrees angle behind a bush. He used to arrange the automatic trigger function with the help of hairbands and a thin copper wire crossing the target path at two feet height tied to the opposite end. Any object brushing with the copper wire would come under fire. Reddappa would return to the spot in early hours to bag his trophy.
On Monday night, Reddappa allegedly fixed his gun-trap and left hoping to return in the early hours. Around 10.30 p.m., a farmer Amara of Melumai Kottur hamlet accompanied by his neighbours Chengappa and Lakshmana entered the forest zone in search of a missing cow. A few feet away from the fatal wire across the narrow forest path, Chengappa and Lakshmana stopped to relieve themselves, while Amara stepped forward. With a deafening sound, the gun went off. The pellets pierced the lower limbs of Amara. Due to heavy bleeding, the farmer died in a couple of minutes. His companions rushed to the village and returned with a mob. Hiding in the bushes, they waited for the “poacher”. Reddappa, arrived at the spot around 2 a.m. to collect his “trophy”, only to find a human corpse spangled across the target path. The villagers pounced on him and nabbed him. CI of Palamaner A. Surender Reddy told The Hindu that Reddappa Reddy had history as a bike-lifter. “Going by the villagers’ account, he had become a full-fledged poacher in recent years. After hitting the wild game, he would sell the meat to enthusiastic parties at a price. Preliminary investigation made it clear that he was influenced by programmes on television. As the gun-trap technique proved successful many times, Reddappa just stuck to it,” the police officer said.
The police rushed into the forest at dawn and shifted the body of Amara to area hospital. The accused was booked under Sections of various Acts.
