Hassan police have arrested five persons, including a couple from Banavara in Arsikere taluk, on the charge of killing monkeys.
Hassan Deputy Commissioner R. Girish, Superintendent of Police R. Srinivasa Gowda and Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) K.N. Basavaraj held a joint press conference in Hassan on August 2 to announce the arrests.
The arrested persons are Ramu and his wife Yashoda from Banavara, and Prasanna, Rudregowda and Manju of Ugane village near Hassan.
Police say that the couple are experts at catching monkeys. They were hired by residents of Ugane village to get rid of monkeys that were damaging crops.
More than 30 monkeys found dead
On July 28 around 10 p.m., a few residents of Chowdanahalli in Kogilamane Gram Panchyat in Belur taluk noticed some bags abandoned near their village. Inside, they found bodies of monkeys. They informed the police, forest officials and veterinary doctors.
Gangadhara Nayak, Chief Veterinary Officer at Arehalli in Belur, told The Hindu that his team members reached the spot at midnight. “The team found the bodies of more than 30 monkeys at the spot. They noticed two monkeys battling for life. They took them to a hospital for treatment, but one among the two could not be saved,” he said.
Following the discovery of the bodies, High Court of Karnataka initiated proceedings in the case suo motu. Hassan Deputy Commissioner was told to submit a report by August 4. Police and forest officials took up the investigation.
