Tumakuru, 22 August

Forest Department officials on Friday arrested three residents of Gauragondanahalli in Tumakuru taluk after a leopard that had been caught in a snare was allegedly burned. The incident occurred near a farm in Gowragondanahalli, officials said.

The arrested are GD Shivakumar, Narayanappa and Chandrashekar, all residents of Gauragondanahalli. They were arrested on Friday, and were later produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.

Forest department officials said the leopard died after getting trapped in a snare set by local farmer Narayanappa at the foot of a hill to protect his crops.

After finding the dead animal, the accused, along with local youths, burned the carcass. Forest officials raided the site and recovered charred meat after videos of the burning circulated on WhatsApp, Tumakuru Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) V Pavithra told SALAR NEWS.

A senior forest official said a preliminary probe found that a leopard descending from the hill allegedly got caught in a snare and died. The accused then admitted to burning the carcass to destroy evidence, the official said.

 A Bengaluru forensic team confirmed that the recovered meat belonged to a leopard.

Under the Wildlife Protection Act, harming or trapping protected wildlife is a serious offence.