Shivamogga: Forest department officials arrested a 55-year-old man and seized 45 live crude explosives during a targeted raid in the Haratalu Reserve Forest of Hosanagara taluk, signalling a worrying rise in the use of high-intensity explosives for wildlife poaching in the region.Acting on a tip-off about illegal hunting activities, a team led by range forest officer Anil Kumar S intercepted the suspects near the Kotetari–Gad–Haratalu Road on Sunday. One of the accused, identified as Dakappa, 55, was apprehended on the spot, while his accomplices, Bhaskara and Nagaraja Gowda, managed to escape and are currently absconding.Officials seized 45 live crude explosives along with a two-wheeler reportedly used by the accused for poaching activities. Dakappa was later produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody, while efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining suspects.The arrest comes close on the heels of a similar incident reported on April 6 in Nenturu, Thirthahalli, where an elderly woman sustained serious injuries to her hand in a crude bomb blast. Authorities have expressed concern over what they describe as a shift from traditional hunting traps to the use of volatile crude bombs, which pose severe risks not only to wildlife but also to unsuspecting villagers.Thirthahalli police have launched an in-depth investigation to identify the source and manufacturing network of these explosives, amid growing alarm over their increasing use in forest areas.
