Techie-bikers stray into Amrabad tiger reserve for weekend adventure, penalised

Hyderabad: A group of 16 bikers, all techies from the city, was penalised ₹2.4 lakh in total for allegedly entering a prohibited area of the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, where they were camping overnight as part of the riding adventure.

Comprising mostly newcomers to the city, the group of bikers was led by Hyderabad-based Phani Rajagopal. They are all in their early 20s and did not know one another, officials said.

The bikers came into contact with one another through a WhatsApp group and decided to go on the bike ride, inadvertently ending up in the prohibited Maddimadugu range of the tiger reserve, which is the core area of the reserve.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, forest range officer of Maddimadugu range J. Aditya said, “We raided the area around 11 pm upon receiving information that some hunters had entered the range.”

“We found 16 bikers who had set up their camps and campfires. Upon questioning them, we found that they were first-time bikers who are new to the state. They were not aware that it was a restricted area. We gave them a warning letter and fined them for trespassing the prohibited area of the reserve,” the forest range officer said.

Officials said that each biker was penalised ₹15,000, according to the provisions under Section 20 of the State Forest Act, amounting to ₹2.4 lakh in total.

Officials, meanwhile, said that a local who led the group of bikers inside the forest was also traced and penalised.

They said that work was currently underway to increase security cover in the area, with security camps set to come up in the core area soon.

The tiger reserve is spread across 2,611.4 square kilometres and ranges over Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda districts. It is currently estimated to be home to around 20 tigers.