Forest Department shooter attacked by wild elephant while trying to treat its injuries, dies
Sakleshpur: A tragic incident unfolded on Thursday morning near Alur in Sakleshpur, as a Forest Department staff member lost his life after being severely injured by a wild elephant. The incident occurred when the staff member, identified as Forest Department sharp-shooter Venkatesh, approached the elephant to administer a dose of anesthetic.
The wild elephant, named 'Bheema', had been injured and had been roaming in the Alur taluk area, causing concern among the local residents. In a brave effort to assist the injured animal, Venkatesh volunteered to approach 'Bheema' at Halliyur and provide it with an anesthetic dose. Tragically, as Venkatesh neared the elephant, 'Bheema' unexpectedly attacked him, resulting in serious injuries that proved fatal.
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Following the attack, Venkatesh was immediately rushed to the Hassan District Hospital for medical treatment. Despite the medical team's best efforts, he unfortunately did not respond to the treatment and passed away.
'Bheema' had sustained injuries after an encounter with other wild elephants in the Alur, Belur, Yalasur, Sakleshpur, and Arkalgud areas of the Hassan Forest Division in the second week of August. The elephant had initially been treated on August 25. However, due to the worsening condition of 'Bheema', the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests had approved further treatment for the injured elephant.
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Gold smuggling racket busted at Bengaluru airport, 5 arrested
Bengaluru (PTI): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a major international gold smuggling syndicate operating through Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru following a coordinated operation, according to an official statement.
Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the case and efforts are underway to identify the key masterminds and dismantle the entire network, officials said.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, officers of the DRI’s Bengaluru Zonal Unit mounted surveillance at Terminal 2 of the airport, leading to the interception of a network involving foreign nationals and local facilitators.
The operation, conducted over April 6 and 7, culminated in the seizure of 3.356 kg of high-purity gold worth about Rs 5 crore in paste form.
“The officers of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Bengaluru Zonal Unit, have successfully busted a major international gold smuggling syndicate operating through Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL), Bengaluru,” the agency said in a press release.
Officials said the contraband was ingeniously concealed in paste form inside capsule-shaped packets, highlighting the sophisticated methods adopted by the syndicate.
Investigations revealed that carriers arriving from abroad deliberately chose Bengaluru as a transit point, exploiting longer layovers to facilitate covert transfers within the airport premises.
“The gold was concealed on the body and transferred using a pre-arranged passcode system inside sensitive areas such as washrooms and smoking zones, thereby bypassing Customs scrutiny,” the statement said.
The use of coded exchanges within restricted zones enabled the syndicate to evade routine checks, it said, adding that the probe also uncovered insider involvement within the airport ecosystem.
“The syndicate had further infiltrated the airport ecosystem, with the involvement of an insider who misused authorised access to restricted zones to receive and smuggle out the contraband,” the DRI said.
The operation also revealed the use of encrypted communication platforms featuring coded messages and disappearing chats.
Authorities said preliminary investigations indicate the involvement of a wider international network.
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the network is part of a larger cross-border smuggling syndicate involving foreign operatives, suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals, working in tandem with domestic handlers and facilitators,” the DRI said.
Officials said the case reflects the increasing sophistication of smuggling operations and reiterated that the agency remains committed to curbing such organised economic offences.
