MYSURU: A forest guard was stabbed by a person illegally fishing in Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, which is situated 128 kilometers away from Bengaluru, on Saturday late night.
The incident took place, when four forest guards, who were patrolling in a boat, found a gang of seven miscreants illegally fishing using five boats in the sanctuary.
V Yedukundala, deputy conservator of forest (DCF), Mysuru (wildlife division) told the New Indian Express on Sunday that when the guards tried to catch the miscreants, six of them managed to escape from the spot, but Jaffer (25) who stabbed the hand of forest guard Muruga, has been arrested.
“Muruga’s health condition is stable now. A case under Wildlife Protection Act has been booked against all the seven miscreants. We have got the details regarding the whereabouts of the absconding six people, we will soon arrest them,” said DCF.
Forest department officials have been suspecting that the miscreants were in the sanctuary to catch some endangered fishes. The officials have seized five boats, five fishing nets and other fishing equipment, three motorbikes and one auto-rickshaw from the miscreants.
A senior officer said the department is planning to install more CCTV cameras in the sanctuary which has been declared as eco-sensitive zone.
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary has 13 islands and it is home to 219 bird and aquatic species.