TUMAKURU: Forest Department officials of Ramanagara and Kunigal arrested a man and seized 5 kg of venison during a raid on two hotels at Tippasandra Handpost and Anchepalya village. Officials also seized the meat of monitor lizard, rabbit and ducks, sources said. The hotels were being run by one Rahmath Ulla and his brother. He and several staffers managed to escape while one Sathish alias Sudheer has been taken into custody.
The Ramanagara District Forest Officer Sadashiva Hegde, Magadi RFO Pushpalatha and Kunigal’s Manjunath led the raid. “The deer meat will be sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology for tests,” said Manjunath. A case under Sections 9 and 51 of the Wildlife Act 1972 will be registered against the accused, he added.
The hotels are located on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway. They have a regular clientele who frequent the eateries during midnight and weekends. According to sources, the racket to supply wild game for the “high-profile” tourists extends till Ballari.