Advocate, two others arrested for trying to sell leopard skin (State of Karnataka, India)
Advocate, two others arrested for trying to sell leopard skin (State of
Karnataka, India)
The Hindu
September 21, 2022
See link
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/advocate-among-three-arrested-for-trying-to-sell-leopard-skin/article65918301.ece
for photo.
The Hanumanthnagar police arrested a 50-year-old man from Denkanikottai
while he was allegedly trying to sell two elephant tusks on Ramanjaneya
Road on Tuesday.
The accused, Kaaliyappan, told the police that he was part of a poachers
gang that brought tusks to the city to sell them, but the police found a
‘Forest Department’ sticker on the motorcycle he was riding.
The police said Kaaliyappan confessed that the bike belonged to his son,
who worked in the Forest Department, Hosur range, which was confirmed by
the police.
The police are now probing the possible involvement of his son and suspect
that the tusks must have been stolen from one of the storerooms of the
department where wildlife artefacts are stored.
The Malur police, four years ago, had arrested a fire watcher from Kuppam
in Andhra Pradesh while he was trying to sell the tusks he had stolen from
the storeroom.
Kaaliyappan has been booked under various sections of Wildlife Protection
Act for further investigations.
Caught for Selling Leopard Skin
Earlier, the police arrested a 39-year-old advocate from Hosakote along
with two of his associates for trying to sell leopard skin. The trio were
caught red-handed while they were waiting for customers on the service road
in Srinagar.
The accused have been identified as Muneer Basha J., a practising advocate
from Hosakote, Srinivasa Rao, 54, from Ballari, and Syed Akbar, 50, from
Mulbagal. Investigations revealed that Akbar had sourced the skin from his
source and approached Muneer Basha to sell it and make money, offering him
a share.
Basha readily agreed and tried to contact buyers and was caught while
handing over the pelt. The accused have been taken into custody to
ascertain the actual source of the skin.
In a similar incident, the police arrested a 47-year-old man and seized
four figurines, including three elephants, and a Krishna idol made from
ivory, along with tiger teeth, and eight nails.
The accused, identified as Dinesh Seshagiri Seth, a resident of
Hanumanthanagar, was caught red-handed at Maruthi circle while he was
moving around jewellery shops suspiciously. Police suspect that Dinesh was
planning to sell them to the jewellers.
Recently, actor Darshan, who is the brand ambassador of the Karnataka
Forest and Agriculture departments, was seen flaunting his tiger nail gold
necklace during a visit to a temple.
The Forest Department took cognizance of this and stepped up vigil to
monitor jewellers and goldsmiths using body parts of wild animals illegally
in jewels. The Forest Department had earlier written letter to the
jewellers association informing them to keep away from such practice and
warned of legal action as per the Wildlife Protection Act.