https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/...in-protected-reserve



Indian golf star Jyoti Randhawa arrested and jailed for poaching in protected reserve

08:44, Dec 28 2018

Indian golfer Jyoti Randhawa was arrested with his caddie in a protected reserve.


Professional golfer Jyoti Randhawa has been jailed for poaching in a protected Indian reserve.

The 46-year-old former top 100 player was arrested on Wednesday and a court sentenced him to 14 days in jail.

Randhawa was in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve's protected area in a luxury SUV vehicle and was stopped by officials because of suspicious activity.

According to a Zee News report, officials discovered a dead fowl, skin of wild boar, a .22 bore rifle, binoculars, three empty cartridges, 80 live cartridges, rangefinder, two mobile searchlight torches, as well as cash.

Randhawa was allegedly hunting with his caddie, Mahesh Virajdar.


Randhawa ranked in the top 100 world players several times between 2004 and 2009.

Randhawa turned professional in 1994 and now plays primarily on the Asian and European Tours. He has 16 professional victories around the world and has competed in six major championships. He is a three-time winner of the Indian Open and topped the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2002 but hasn't won a tournament since 2009.

Delhi-based Randhawa was married to actress Chitrangada Singh for 13 years before they divorced in 2014.

quote:

two mobile searchlight torches,

He wasnt hunting,you cant call spotlighting "hunting" Just another game poacher..should have been given six months.

Common in India among the well connecteed.

Former cricketing great the late Nawab of Patawdi was caught at a checkpost about 30 years ago with a protected black buck and the case dragged on in the courts for decades until he died a few years ago.

The Bollywood star Salman Khan was also was caught and jailed for 5 years. He and his pals were so arrogant to keep spotlighting at night for a few days in a row despite warnings and requests from locals to stop. One of the locals was a very influential aristocrat and he backed the locals to charge and convict the actor despite a lot of political manipulations behind the scene.

There is a lot of nonsense that has been printed by the PETA brigade to malign Mr Randhawa.

Fact is he was not hunting.
He has his house there and was on the main road during the day when he was stopped.
Forest department personell had previously been thrown out of his property for illegally entering it without permission.
They planted a Sambhar skin on him.
There are no Sambhar in that area.
etc etc
The facts speak otherwise, and his case will be coming up court.

India's wild life department and policies especially in closing hunting is well researched in H S Pabla's book " A road to nowhere ", written by a Forest officer of Madhya Pradesh with over 35 years experience.
He has researched and proven what we all know, that controlled sport hunting is the only way forward for saving wild life.

Allowing hunting in India would do so much more good for wildlife but, good luck with that
Dumb politicians will never see end of their nose

Yes a and a lot of money would flow onto the poor villagers (and the corrupt officials)