Poacher injured in firing in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary

A gang of poachers from Kolathur taluk was fired upon by the Karnataka forest department personnel when they were hunting in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday. One of them sustained injuries. Police said Raja, Muthusamy, Palani and another person went to the Yamanur forest area in Dharmapuri district for hunting and sneaked into the Karnataka forests at Adipalalru.

While the four were hunting in the forest, Karnataka forest personnel fired at them in which Raja sustained injury on the leg. Raja and Muthusamy returned to the village on Wednesday, but could not be traced till Thursday evening. The other two too escaped.  Superintendent of Police R. Sakthivel told The Hindu that since Raja is believed to have sustained injuries, police are searching private hospitals in Kolathur and in few other border areas.

Karnataka forest department officials confirmed that there was a shootout on Wednesday. “The poachers were found with a

sambar deer they had killed. They fired first at the forest personnel, who retaliated. They all escaped. No one was injured,” said a senior official.