LUCKNOW: Ace international golfer Jyoti Randhawa and national level shooter Mahesh Virajdar were arrested on Wednesday morning as early as 5 am on poaching charges in Katarniyaghat wildlife sanctuary in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, forest officials said.
According to field director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR), Ramesh Kumar Pandey, the arrest was made in Motipur Range of Katerniaghat. A vehicle with Haryana registration number (HR 26 DN 4299), weapons,
other equipment along with a .22 rifle, 80 bullets and wildlife articles were seized from them, said Pandey.
Katarniyaghat is a protected wildlife area under Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Katarniyaghat and his team were investigating the case for further legal action against the golfer, added Pandey.
The forest officials also recovered range finders, binoculars and a gun registered in Randhawa's name along with the skin of an animal from the four-wheeler. Randhaw claimed it to be the skin of a wild bore but after investigation by the forest officials it came out to be sambhar deer. The golfer believably hunted a jungle fowl on Tuesday.
“We were on alert as we had information through our local network about some suspicious people roaming in the forest area," said the field director. On Wednesday morning as early as 5 am, Randhawa was intercepted by the forest guards in the deep woods at beat no 29 of Motipur range. The golfer owns a farmhouse in Motipur range of Katarniyaghat. He was spotted roaming in the dense forest area for last four-five days.
Randhawa, 46, the ex-husband Bollywood actor Chantrangada Singh, has been among top 100 golfers the Official World Golf Ranking several times between 2004 and 2009. He turned professional in 1994 and finished top on the Asian Tour money list. As the interrogation proceeded, it came out that Randhawa's accomplice, Mahesh Virajdar, is a national level shooter and a former naval officer. He was court-martialled from navy around four years ago. Now he is associated with Randhawa as his caddie.