SHIVAMOGGA: The owls which catches prey in darkness have themselves become preys of man in the Malnad region. For, they are used in black magic and fetch fortunes - anything between `2 lakh and `40 lakh - to the sellers.
Recently, Forest Department officials of Anavatti busted a racket and arrested nine including Annappa Dyavasa, who was posing as a journalist, They were allegedly involved in trapping the owls and selling them for huge amounts.
Acting on a tip-off, the Forest department officials led by Sorab ACF Srinivas Eradoni arrested the main accused Abdul Azeem.
When the forest officers checked the mobile phones of Azeem, they learnt who the racket worked.
Sources said the owls are sold in Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and other states. Smugglers use social media like WhatsApp and Facebook for exchanging information on the availability of the owls.
The officers have also got phone call records and video clippings on the prices of the owls. The officers have also got videos of not only owls, but also of sand boa and slender loris (kadupapa).
The accused admitted that in Karnataka, they would give the owls to a ‘swamiji’ in Hebri in Udupi district for black magic.
The department has been collecting information about this network which might be active in other parts of the district and the state. The department is getting reports on trapping of owls, sources said.
Sorab ACF Srinivas Eradoni told Express that the arrested have been remanded in judicial custody. Many other people are involved in the racket and they are at large, he said. The department is investigating the issue thoroughly, he added.
A few years back, smuggling of sand boa, a rare species of snake, was rampant in this region. After police and the forest departments acted sternly the smugglers, the racket had stopped.