Chamarajanagar (PTI): The death of a tigress and her four cubs in this district has turned out to be a case of apparent revenge by a man whose cow was preyed upon by wild animals, Forest authorities said on Saturday.

Three people, including the owner of the dead cow sprayed upon with poison and consumed by the wild cats, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the incident that happened in the Hugyam forest range of Male Mahadeshwara Hills, police said.

The big cats were found dead on Thursday, and subsequent investigation revealed they were poisoned. The incident had created a furore in the state.

The breakthrough came after the carcass of a poisoned cow belonging to Maada alias Maaduraju was found.

According to Forest officials, Maaduraju was reportedly enraged after his cow named 'Kenchi' was killed upon by wild animals.

To avenge the loss, he sprayed poison on the cow's carcass. His friends Konappa and Nagaraju too were allegedly part of the conspiracy.

The tigress, which had initially feasted on the dead cow, later returned with her cubs to feed on it again and died after ingesting the poison, Forest sources said.

All three suspects have been taken to Meenyam-based 'Aranya Bhavan' in Hanuru Taluk for further interrogation.

During the investigation, Maaduraju's father Shivanna approached the police claiming that he was responsible for the death of the big cats.

However, he was let off after the investigation revealed his son's alleged involvement.

The incident had triggered widespread public outrage and political blame games, with the opposition BJP accusing the government of "negligence" in protecting wildlife.

While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had indicated action after receiving a report on the matter, State Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre had said no one will be spared.

According to the latest report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Karnataka has 563 tigers, the second highest in the country after Madhya Pradesh.