The Belagavi forest department officials have successfully apprehended a notorious tiger poacher, known as Chikka or Krishna Patlepawar, hailing from Madhya Pradesh. This significant arrest took place on Friday, marking a major breakthrough in the fight against wildlife crimes.
Chikka stands accused of multiple forest offenses in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Specifically, he is alleged to have engaged in the illegal hunting of a tiger and a sloth bear in Maharashtra last year. Forest officials are currently working diligently to extract crucial details regarding his criminal activities.
Interestingly, the Belagavi forest department officials, who were initially investigating a sandalwood theft case that occurred in July at Khanapur territorial forest, unexpectedly crossed paths with Chikka. He was found hiding in a tent near Kanabargi, situated on the outskirts of Belagavi city.
During the subsequent interrogation, Chikka confessed to his involvement in various forest offenses. Furthermore, the officials managed to recover sandalwood logs and other equipment utilized for animal poaching from his possession.
Deputy Conservator of Forests, Manjunath Chavan, emphasized the ongoing interrogation of Chikka to gather additional information about his participation in other cases. The officials are meticulously connecting the dots to ascertain whether he was also involved in poaching incidents within Karnataka.