In a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the death of five tigers in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, forest officials have arrested three persons directly involved in the case.

The accused were identified as Konappa, Madaraja and Nagaraj of Koppa village.

The officials said based on credible information, five persons were taken into custody and interrogated following which it transpired that the three were directly involved in poisoning the tigers.

The three accused have been arrested under the relevant sections of the Wildlife Prorection Act, 1972, and the Indian Forest Act, 1969. The Forest Department will produce the three before the jurisdictional magistrate and initiate further legal action.

Meanwhile, sources in the Forest Department said that the viscera of the carcass collected by the veterinarians have been sent to forensic laboratories in Bengaluru and Mysuru for independent corroboration of the kind of poison used while one set of sample has been sent to the Mysuru zoo for storage just in case it was required for future analysis.

The arrest of the three followed an important lead that the forest department received on Friday evening following which four persons were questioned and it led to the arrest of those involved in tiger poisoning. Sources said a few locals helped identification of the owner of the cow which was killed by the tiger leading to the trail.

Their arrests are seen as a significant step forward in the case that has sparked outrage across conservation circles.

Senior officials said while the investigations into the case will go on, the high-level committee constituted by the State Government will take up related systemic issues such as inadequate patrolling, staff shortages, and gaps in field monitoring, lack of resources if any, whether the incident could have been prevented etc.