Bengaluru: Central Crime Branch sleuths have arrested four people, including a wildlife photographer, on charges of trying to illegally sell mounted trophies of tigers and black panthers worth around Rs 2 crore. The speculation is that the trophies were gifted by the last member of world-renowned taxidermist Van Ingen’s family, Edwin Joubert Van Ingen, to one of the accused.
The arrested are K.V. Arun Kumar, 52, from Mysuru, Jagadish, 41, from Gayatri Nagar, Ashwin Ramaswamy, 39, a resident of Girinagar and a wildlife photographer, and Rajashekar, 46, a resident of RS Naidu Nagar in Mysuru. A few others are absconding.
Police said they received information on a gang coming to the city to sell mounted trophies of a tigress and two cubs and a black panther. The police team intercepted a van and a car on Uttaradi Math Road in Shankarapuram on Sunday. While some of the accused escaped, cops managed to arrest four.
“When the van was searched, two trophies were found – one of a tigress and two cubs and the other of a black panther. They were seized along with the van, the car and a cash counting machine. The preliminary probe revealed they had struck a deal with a person in Bengaluru who was to purchase the trophies for around Rs 2 crore,” the police said.
One of the accused in the case, R. Krishna, is said to be a reputed businessman in Mysuru, and the trophies belonged to him. “The arrested have produced a document to establish that the trophies belonged to Krishna. It is a letter written by E.J. Van Ingen, the last member of the world renowned taxidermist Van Ingen’s family, on July 28, 1996. It is written that Ingen, as a token of their friendship, wished to present Krishna trophies of a black panther, tigress with two cubs, lion and two brown bears. He has also asked Krishna in the letter to take permission from the authorities concerned for change of possession. It was gifted to Krishna on the occasion of his birthday and wedding anniversary, as per the letter. The facts are being verified,” a senior police official said.
