Mysuru: After days of hot pursuit the sleuths of Forest Mobile Squad, Mysuru, trapped a man for possession of a tiger skin, worth Rs 45 lakh, at Yelawala near Mysuru city on Thursday, while three of his accomplices escaped.Based on a tip-off, the sleuths were tracking the accused, Govinde Gowda, a resident of Chowki village in Periyapatna taluk of Mysuru district. But Gowda made them wait before he could appear before them with the contraband.
Gowda was nabbed by the sleuths, when he along with his accomplices had arrived at Yelawala on two two-wheelers to sell the tiger skin, which was packed in a gunny bag.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Poovaiah told Deccan Chronicle that during questioning Gowda confessed that he had laid a trap in February this year to catch wild boar at a coffee plantation near his fields, but instead a tiger fell into the trap. The carcass of the tiger was dragged to nearby forests and its skin was extracted.It was later dried at his house using a powerful 200 kv bulb.
Gathering details of the skin in possession of Gowda, a trap was laid for him. Posing as buyers the sleuths struck a deal with him to purchase the tiger skin.
Gowda told Poovaiah had the deal got through, he would have got only Rs 2 lakh while the rest would have gone to the middlemen.
In 2010, Gowda had extracted skin from a leopard and he is currently out on bail in that case. The sleuths have launched a manhunt to track Gowda’s accomplices.
