Golfer Jyoti Randhawa held on poaching charges in UP

Randhawa has been ranked among the top golfers in the world and owns a farmhouse in the near the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. Pic/PTI

With the arrest of international golfer Jyoti Randhawa from Uttar Pradesh allegedly under the charges of poaching, once again the controversy surrounding Tigress T 1 (Avni) is back in the limelight. NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad, who had earlier raised question over the involvement of a private shooter and the golfer in the T1 operation, has demanded that the concerned department should take strict action against Randhawa.

Randhawa was arrested on Wednesday on charges of poaching in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve's protected area in Uttar Pradesh, an official said. Equipment used for hunting, a point 22 bore rifle and a deer hide were seized from him, field officer Ramesh Pandey said. The officer said a luxury vehicle was also seized. Another person, identified as Mahesh Virajdar, was arrested along with Randhawa near the Motipur range of Katarniaghat in the reserve. Interrogation and legal action against Randhawa are being initiated by the Katarniaghat divisional forest officer, he said.

"Randhawa has been known for his inclination towards poaching and even Nawab Shafat Ali Khan and his son Asghar are known for the same but the Maharashtra Forest Department involved them in the T1 operation. Now that Randhawa has been caught red-handed, authorities should investigate this," Awhad said.

target="_blank">Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever