Two arrested for tiger’s death in Nallamalla forests, AP

Making progress in the case relating to the death of a tiger under suspicious circumstances in Nallamalla forest, the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department arrested two suspects. Anji and Viranjaneyulu were arrested at Medikundur in Guntur district and shifted to Giddalur in Markapuram district for questioning, officials said on Tuesday.

The Forest Department has intensified the investigation into the case following orders by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. The carcass of an adult tiger was found on July 31 near Tettu Madugu in the Gundlakamma Range of the Racherla forest area in the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam



Tiger Reserve (NSTR), Markapuram district.

The Forest officials were examining whether the tiger was poached, died after consuming poisoned bait or succumbed to other causes. The investigators suspect the tiger may have died 35 to 40 days before the carcass was discovered. The big cat’s paws and legs were missing, raising suspicions that the claws had been removed for illegal trade.

The tiger’s remains have been sent to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, for forensic and post-mortem analysis.