The three men arrested for poisoning a tigress and her four cubs in Meenyam forest were produced before the Hanur court on Monday under heavy escort.
Hanur Assistant Forest Officer Gajanana Hegde, Probationary ACF Umapathy, and RFO Madesh, along with a team of forest personnel, brought the accused—Maduraju, Nagaraju, and Konappa—to the Court of the Extra Civil First Class Judicial Magistrate in Hanur around 11 a.m.
Presiding Judge Kavyashree questioned the trio about their involvement. Forest officials requested custody of the accused for further interrogation to uncover additional details of the poaching conspiracy. Granting the request, the judge allowed the Forest Department to take them back into custody but issued clear directives: the accused must not be assaulted or intimidated, must be provided timely meals, and must undergo medical examinations. They are to be produced again in court on Thursday, July 3, in the same condition in which they were taken.
Advocate Mahadev Prasad appeared for the defense.
Emotions ran high outside the court. A woman from Hoogyam village approached the jeep carrying the accused and, with tears in her eyes, said in anguish, “Yakappa, why did you do this? You are the ones who should live.” Her words captured the heartbreak felt across the district over the killing of the endangered animals.