R S TEJUS:
The Karnataka Forest Department has opened the New Year with a decisive chapter in countering wildlife criminals, arresting notorious hunter Shikari Govinda (32) of Hanur Taluk after a tense, day-long operation. The arrest, executed by a 40-member team from the Forest Mobile Squad, LTF and MM Hills Sanctuary, brings to an end a 12-year pursuit involving some of the most serious wildlife crime cases in Karnataka.
Confirming the arrest, MM Hills Sanctuary DCF Bhaskar told Green Minute News, “I monitored the entire operation in real time and stood firmly behind the field teams throughout.” The DCF credited the officers and frontline staff for their patience, coordination and courage in executing the operation under extremely demanding conditions.
A TOUGH FILMY CHASE
Since arrests are not permitted inside the court premises, Karnataka Forest Department personnel maintained continuous surveillance as Shikari Govinda remained inside the court complex for most of the day. As evening approached, the situation escalated when he managed to escape and move towards the railway station, triggering a situation which seemed as if it was a filmy chase.
Shikari Govinda attempted to flee by boarding a moving train, but forest personnel pursued him, boarded the running train and successfully apprehended him.
The operation was led by ACF Rudresh (holding DCF charge) Mobile Squad along with ACF Viraj of Hanur Sub-Division, MM Hills Sanctuary, with key roles played by RFOs Nagaraja, Surendra and Jitendra, and other personnel from the Mobile Forest Squad, LTF and MM Hills Sanctuary staff.
ACF Viraj said the team worked the entire day without food, water or rest, overcoming several unforeseen obstructions to take the operation to its logical end.
Official records indicate that Shikari Govinda is a history-sheeter who had been arrested a few years ago but continued to remain active in wildlife crime after securing release. He is wanted in multiple cases under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, with various offences registered under Sections 9, 27, 29, 31, 39, 48, 50, 51, 52 and 57, along with cases under the Indian Arms Act. He is also accused in several criminal cases registered across police stations in Mysuru and Bengaluru, making him a long-standing inter-jurisdictional target.
Investigators said Shikari Govinda belonged to a network historically associated with the late Veerappan, the notorious hunter and sandalwood smuggler, and operated within the same belt that once served as a base for organised forest crimes. Officials stressed that this refers to criminal lineage and networks, not any community at large, and reflects the entrenched nature of organised wildlife crime in the region.
One of the most chilling cases linked to Shikari Govinda is the brutal killing of a tiger at Pachedoddi in the MM Hills landscape, where the animal was killed and cut into three pieces.
The incident had sent shockwaves through the Karnataka Forest Department and intensified concerns over organised hunting networks operating inside protected forests.
GRAVE CONFLICT ZONE
The arrest comes amid growing concern over repeated tiger deaths in MM Hills Sanctuary, raising fears of the landscape becoming a grave conflict zone for big cats. Forest officials said detailed investigations are now underway to trace Govinda’s wider network, establish links with illegal wildlife trade routes, and close all pending cases.
The arrest is being seen as a major morale booster for frontline staff of Karnataka Forest Department and sending a strong signal that organised wildlife crime will be pursued relentlessly in the year ahead.