Forest Department has decided to register a criminal case against Kader Basha, who claimed to be trapped between boulders of Gaganachukki waterfalls for over 51 hours, on charges of illegally entering the restricted forest area.
The 37-year-old man from Kadirenahalli in Bengaluru was rescued by locals and police personnel on Monday evening from the waterfalls. He claimed that he fell from over 300 ft. while attempting to descend the waterfalls at 3.30 p.m. on Saturday.
Entering the restricted area is an offence and the Forest Department has taken a serious note of the incident, a senior forest official told The Hindu here on Wednesday.
A case will be booked under certain Sections of the Indian Forest Act against Basha for trespassing, the official said.
Emphasising the need of initiating measures against such trespassers, the official said that the Forest Department has already installed boards cautioning people against venturing into restricted areas.
When asked whether the Police Department could take any steps, Mandya Superintendent of Police G. Radhika added, “We have sent a report to the Range Forest Officer for registering the case.”
The Police Department is also investigating the incident and contemplating booking a case under some Sections of the Indian Penal Code, another officer said.
