'Sandalwood Smuggler’ shot dead by forest guards in Mysuru

February 12, 2017

Mysuru, Feb 12: A 32-year-old youth who unlawfully entered a reserve forest area in south Mysuru was shot dead by forest personnel in the early hours of Saturday. Officials said the deceased, Shankar, was part of a gang of armed smugglers.

Shankar died on the spot after pellets pierced his head and neck, while his associates escaped in the dark. Officials said they opened fire after the smugglers tried to attack them with stones and weapons. When the warning to surrender went unheeded, forest guard Manju opened two rounds of fire in the air and then opened fire at the gang in self-defence, said an official.

Forest officials defended their act by saying "due to undulating landscape, the pellets hit Shankar's head". Immediately , three foresters, including Manju and watchers Nanjunda and Chikkanna, rushed back to the entrance out of fear.

"Following two incidents of sandalwood tree theft in five days, we deployed a team of five personnel to guard the 250-acre protected area.Five trees were felled on February 2 and another four on February 6," DCF (territorial) V Karikalan said.

Patrolling was also intensified in the area near Lingambudhi Lake and the personnel were provided with a jeep.

"On Saturday , two of them were at the entrance while three had gone to check after they heard a noise. Foresters saw the gang members cutting felled sandal trees using a hand saw. Despite repeated warnings, they refused to surrender and instead, tried to attack the team," the DCF said. The incident happened at 2.45 am.

The gang had felled two big trees, one about 150cm in girth. The campus, where precious trees are grown naturally, is not fully fenced.Due to a dispute near a graveyard, there's an unfenced area of about 200 metres, from where the smugglers entered the forest.

"We will soon take steps to fence it and deploy more guards," the DCF added. Shankar was a resident of HD Kote.

Comments

En helidru Yessessu............. nagtha nagtha mathadthare agathya bidre tuss tuss

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

Comments