Hunsur: The Hunsur Rural Police have arrested three men in connection with a shooting incident in which three shepherds were injured while attempting to prevent an alleged sheep theft near Gurupura village in Hunsur taluk. The incident occurred around 1 am on November 6 near the Gurupura Tibetan Camp.
The arrested men have been identified as Pramod, 28, an agriculturist from Shyamboganahalli village in Bilikere hobli; C.V. Sudeep, 28, originally from Chouthi village in Periyapatna taluk and currently residing at Basarikatte in Madapura village; and Devaraj, 31, from Hindagudlu village in Hunsur.
All three have been remanded to judicial custody. The case was registered following a complaint filed by Govinda, a shepherd from Togari Gunti village in Sira taluk of Tumakuru district.
Shepherds confronted suspected sheep thieves
According to Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi, three persons arrived on two motorcycles near a sheep enclosure belonging to Tenzin, a Tibetan refugee at the Gurupura Tibetan Camp, around 1 am on November 6.
Govinda and the other shepherds noticed the men allegedly attempting to steal sheep and confronted them. When questioned, the suspects reportedly claimed that they had come to the area for hunting.
As the shepherds raised an alarm, the three men attempted to flee on their motorcycles. When Govinda and the others tried to stop them, one of the suspects allegedly opened fire.
Govinda, Bheema and Jhunjanna sustained injuries below the knee. One of the accused reportedly left behind a motorcycle while escaping.
Special police team traces accused hiding in forest
Following the incident, a special team headed by Hunsur Rural Police Inspector Santosh Kashyap was formed to identify and arrest those involved.
The team worked under the guidance of Additional Superintendents of Police C. Mallik and L. Nagesh and the supervision of Hunsur Sub-Division Deputy Superintendent of Police Ravi.
Addressing a press conference, SP Mallikarjun Baladandi said the accused had been hiding in a forest area near Hunsur. The first suspect was arrested at around 7 pm on November 11, while the other two were taken into custody at around 2 am the following day.
The police seized a Single-Barrel Breech-Loading (SBBL) gun allegedly used in the shooting, along with two cartridges — one live and the other spent. The investigation revealed that the licensed firearm belonged to Ramakrishnegowda of Hindagudlu village.
Police cite previous cases involving two accused
The police also disclosed details of previous cases involving two of the arrested men.
Pramod had earlier been named as an accused in an attempt-to-murder case registered at Hunsur Rural Police Station in 2025 over personal enmity. He is currently out on bail.
Pramod and Sudeep were also named as accused in a robbery case registered at Bilikere Police Station in 2021. The case is pending trial, and both are out on bail.
The arrests follow the police investigation into the shooting near Gurupura, where shepherds from Tumakuru district were guarding their flock. Further investigation is under way.