Officials of Forest Department and the police did not make any breakthrough in its search operations for the ‘man-eater’ tiger in Jamboti forest range of Belagavi district till late on Saturday evening.
Divisional Conservator of Forests Ambadi Madhav said there were no traces of tiger movement in the area since Friday evening. Twelve teams of forest and police personnel had launched fresh combing operations on Saturday, he said.
Thirty personnel from the Tiger Protection Force (TPF) in Mysuru and a team of four experts from the Soliga tribal community of Chamarajanagar joined the search operations.
Official sources said the TPF personnel from Nagarahole and Bandipur tiger sanctuaries were specially trained in monitoring tiger movements.
The Soliga tribesmen possess traditional expertise in tracing tiger hideouts and its movement route. They have been serving as forest watchers in Biligiriranga Betta. The total number of those engaged in the search operation has reached 275.
A special round-the-clock control room had been opened to monitor the operations.
Meanwhile, panic and fear has gripped the residents of villages abutting the forest areas. All activities have come to a halt in Kabinal, Nesara, Narasawadi, Dharoli, and other villages as the resident fear stepping out of their homes. The children too have not gone to school for the last two days as they have to tread the forest path to reach there.
The Forest Department officials had assisted some children to reach their schools.
