Animal pelts worth Rs 74.5 lakh seized, seven persons arrested

Acting on a tip off, the police raided Navarang lodge on Sigebele Road in City Market and arrested Annaiah, a resident of Chauti Village in Piriyappattan taluk of Mysore district, Krishnamurthy of Inkal village in Piriyappattan taluk and Das alias Venkataiah of Herallikaval in Piriyappattan taluk.

Four other accused Shekhlal, Krishna, Mahadev and Sundar managed to escape. The police recovered two ivory pieces, skins of fox and python and two-headed snake worth Rs 4.5 lakh from them.

The accused eliminated elephants, fox and python in Nagarhole and Matturu forest areas and two-headed snakes at KGF. They wanted to sell the skins and ivory in the City.
In another incident, the police raided a room in Venkateshwar lodge on Godown Street, recovered nine pieces of ivory worth Rs 40 lakh and arrested Thimme Gowda and Ganesh of Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu. The accused eliminated the elephants in Hogenkal forest areas and had brought the ivory to sell in the City, added the police.

Ivory recovered

In another incident the police arrested Raju and Kumar of Chamarajnagar district and recovered six pieces of ivory worth Rs 30,00,000. The accused had stored the ivory in a room at Balaji lodge. Another accused Joseph managed to escape.