Two held for hunting wild boar in Sullia forest area; one absconding

Mangalore Today News Network

Sullia, Aug 7, 2026: Two persons were arrested by forest officials on Wednesday for allegedly hunting a wild animal and processing its meat in the Chembu forest area under the Kodagu forest division.

The accused have been identified as Gautham of Chembu, Sharath of Peraje, and Yathin of Kadupanje.

According to forest officials, the accused allegedly hunted and killed a wild boar using a firearm in Kadupanje of Chembu forest, which falls under the Kodagu forest limits. They then packed the meat in plastic bags and transported it in a KA-12 registered Maruti Eeco to Kaipadk near Kallugundi.

Acting on credible information, forest department personnel intercepted the vehicle and seized the wild boar meat, the firearm allegedly used in the crime and the car.

Gautham and Sharath were arrested, while the third accused, Yathin of Kadupanje, is absconding. Forest officials have launched a search operation to trace and arrest him.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Senthil Kumar, IFS; Range Forest Officer Dincy Dechamma; Deputy Range Forest Officer Sriraksha; and forest personnel Suresh, Sandeep Gowda, Vijendra Kumar and Vinay Krishna, along with forest guards Yamanuri Koluru, Karthik D, Siddesh, Nagaraj S, Sidram Natikar, Srikanth Biradar and other personnel from the Sampaje range.