Chamarajnagar, Feb 1 (DHNS) : Forest department staff have arrested Mysore CID wing Deputy Superintendent of Police T K Dharmesh and five others for deer poaching in Bandipur National Park at midnight on Thursday.

The others arrested are Ateek Ahmed, Mohammed Hamid, Farid Harimiya of K R Mohalla in Mysore, Raghu of Rayanakere, and Manjaiah.

Investigation revealed that Manjaiah and Raghu are father and son. Twenty-five cartridges, two sets of ammunition, a jeep, a battery-operated modern rifle, and a double-barrel gun were seized from the arrested.

The poachers entered Omkar range of the national park around midnight on Thursday and gunned down a one-year-old spotted deer. On hearing the gunshot, forest officer Satish, along with forest guard Naveen and anti-poaching squad, confronted the jeep-borne poachers on a jungle trail in an area protected by solar electric fencing, about three kilometres from Omkar range.

Forest officials are investigating how the poachers gained illegal entry into the national park at night. As the carcass of a deer was found near the jeep of the accused, the arrested were taken to Tawalanere camp and grilled.        
  Forest officials said the accused had confessed to having entered the forest to poach wildlife.

Gold medalist

Ironically, DySP Dharmesh had an illustrious career record in the past. He was part of a three-member anti-rowdy squad constituted by former Mysore Police Commissioner H R Kasturirangan in 1993, and even bagged the Chief Minister’s gold medal for curbing rowdy menace in Mysore. He is due for retirement after serving the city of palaces for many years, sources said.