MYSURU: A forest guard was stabbed by a person who was illegally fishing in Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary on Saturday night.Four forest guards who were patrolling in a boat found a gang of seven illegally fishing in five boats inside the sanctuary.
Speaking to Express here on Sunday, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Mysuru (wildlife division) V Yedukundala said when the guards tried to catch the miscreants, six of them escaped but Jaffer (25), who slashed the hand of forest guard Muruga with a knife, has been arrested.“Muruga’s condition is stable now. A case under Wildlife Protection Act has been lodged against all the seven. We have got the details regarding the whereabouts of the absconding six. We will arrest them soon,” the DCF said.
The forest officials have seized five boats, five fishing nets and other fishing equipment, three motorbikes and one auto-rickshaw from the area.A senior official said the department is planning to install more CCTV cameras in the sanctuary which has been declared as an eco-sensitive zone.The sanctuary has 13 islands and it is home for 219 bird and aquatic species.